Kieran now ready to power his way to success

Kieran Ryan knew had to turn his life around when was consuming too much grog.

“I was living in a small community, drinking almost every day, and I decided to swap the drink for the weights, and I’ve not had a drop for 13 years,” he told firstnationsnews.com.au

“It was honestly one of the best decisions I’ve ever made in my life. Fast forward to around December 2024, and my fiancée recommended I consider giving powerlifting a try.

“She introduced me to her previous coach, Odin Thomas, and that was it.”

Now, Kieran, a proud Wajarri, Nanda, and Malgana man, from a small community in Carnarvon, Western Australia, is a strong contender to take out a national title in powerlifting.

Powerlifting has three specific lifts: the squat, the bench press, and the deadlift. For each, you get three attempts on the platform to build your highest total number.

It’s not just about strength either. Each lift has strict technique and command requirements that must be met perfectly for the lift to be counted as successful by the referees.

“​That foundation is also what helped keep my sobriety.”

“I’ve already benched 200kg in training, I’m a two-time WA State gold medalist, and I hold the state Australian Powerlifting Alliance (APA) records for bench, deadlift, and my overall total,” Kieran said.

​Kieran said But day-to-day, the gym is a consistent foundation of his life. No matter what is happening around him, it’s the one place where he can completely shut off the noise and focus only on moving the weight and pushing his body beyond its limits.

“​That foundation is also what helped keep my sobriety,” he added.

“In the early days, I used to compare the cost of a carton or a bottle, which was usually gone in one or two nights, to a tub of whey protein that would last me a month and actually benefit my health and progress.

​”Now I’d love to represent Australia and Aboriginal mob at Worlds and one day have a swing at taking the world record of over 240kg.

“Imagine having a blakfulla holding the world record in this sport.”

A proud father, he also wants to be role model for his kids. “I want to show my kids that absolutely anything is possible if you put the work in,” he said.

“I want them to see their dad pushing past limits so they know they can do the exact same thing in their own lives.”

But right now, his sights are set on competing at the Bench-Only APA Nationals in December.

“I know I have a very strong chance at taking that National record since I’ve already lifted 1.5kg over it in training,” he said.

“After that, my next focus is meeting the qualifying total for the full three-lift competition at Nationals and improving across the board.”

Kieran also wants to encourage more mob to be involved.

“I am a proud Wajarri, Nanda, and Malgana man, and I want to show that this Yamatji fulla from a small community can achieve some big things, just like many other mob have,” he said.

“We can take up these spaces, whether that’s through sport, professionally, or academically, and show how strong our mob truly are.

​”The yarns that fill my cup are the ones where I can share my journey, my struggles, and the lessons I’ve learned about how healthy living, fitness, wellness, and nutrition can improve outcomes for us. I’m living proof of it.

“I know stepping foot in a gym can feel intimidating at first, but I welcome any yarn with mob who want to embed these lifestyle changes, whether that’s just going for a walk once a day or stepping onto a podium to compete.”

Positive outcomes

​Kieran also is aware Closing the Gap highlights health as one of the targets that isn’t closing.

And he feels that if more mob can make these small lifestyle changes and share that with others, then it will go some way to create much stronger, positive outcomes.

Right now he’s in a minority when it comes to Aboriginal lifters.

“To be honest, I don’t know exactly how many mob are in the sport right now, but we definitely look like a heavy minority on the lifting platform,” he said.

“I have read about the First Nations Cup, which the APA has been running for a few years out of the Aboriginal-owned Hunter Performance Centre. It looks like a solid initiative, and I’d love to head over and compete at one of those events over the next few years.”

He has a platform on Instagram called @proppa_strong where he hopes others will take up the sport.

“My ultimate goal isn’t to hold on to any records forever. I just want to see more Aboriginal lifters come through, use the platform, break my records, and raise the bar even higher, or even just step foot in the gym.”