Precious McKenzie MBE (1936 - ) was a South African-born weightlifter who won Commonwealth titles representing both England and New Zealand and has won several World powerlifting and Masters World powerlfting titles. His diminutive stature — 1.45m (4' 9") — makes him a distinctive figure at any competition.
| Medal record | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Weightlifting | |||
| Commonwealth Games | |||
| Gold |  1966 Kingston |
Bantamweight | |
| Gold | 1970 Edinburgh |
Bantamweight | |
| Gold | 1974 Christchurch |
Flyweight | |
| Gold |  1978 Edmonton |
Bantamweight | |
Born in Durban, South Africa, he suffered from ill-health during his childhood. An ambition to be a circus performer led him to weight training and weightlifting. Although he was ranked the best weightlifter in South Africa he was barred from representing his country because he was classified as coloured under the apartheid regime. He left South Africa for Britain in 1964 with his wife and young family, and only succeeded in obtaining citizenship through the intervention of the British Minister for sport, Dennis Howell. Initially working in a shoe factory in Northampton, he moved to Bristol where he completed a Physical Education degree. McKenzie competed in three Empire/Commonwealth Games representing England and three Olympics (1968, 1972 and 1976) representing Britain. As a result of the 1974 Commonwealth Games in Christchurch, New Zealand, he decided to settle in New Zealand, and won his fourth Commonwealth gold representing New Zealand at the age of 42. He subsequently became a private consultant in the field of back injury prevention and the New Zealand Safety Council's Manual Handling Advisor, running courses in New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and USA. In 2006 he was recognized by his native country with an induction into the South African Sports hall of Fame.[1]
