News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Sparta welcomed special Olympian, and gold medalist, Jordan Casey back home after competing at the most recent games.
Casey, a four-time gold medalist and “Team Tennessee” power-lifter returned home Tuesday for photos and autographs at the YMCA. Casey said he’s always had an interest in weight lifting.
“It’s always been interesting, and it’s been a challenge trying to always pick up more weight than you can,” Casey said. “So, I really gained interest in seeing how heavy I can go, and it’s really a good stress reliever, and it’s just a good sport in general.”
The Sparta native said he always embraces the challenge of power-lifting. Casey said the road has been crazy since he began his journey as an Olympian.
“Up to this point the road has been crazy, I did leave for a little while from Sparta and I had a tragic happening in the family and that’s what brought me back to Sparta,” Casey said. “Leading up to this moment it’s been a crazy road, it has had its ups, its downs, but it’s been a blessing.”
Casey said now that he is being honored in Sparta, the hard work has certainly paid off. He said the local community has supported him and cheered him on every step of the way.
“All the work has paid off, the community here in Sparta, since day one, has been awesome and great,” Casey said. “The community here in Sparta is just a blessing.”
Casey said he has endured many months of strength training in preparation for the Olympics. He said over the last 18 months he has been training every day for nationals. Casey said his training has not been easy.
“It’s been hard training, I’ve put a lot of time and effort, and all of my body into it, but training has been pretty good,” Casey said.
Casey said people who are trying to reach their own goals like himself should continue striving towards their goals regardless of the circumstances.
“If you put your mind to it and you set your standards high, you’re going to do things you thought you couldn’t do,” Casey said. “There’s always going to be challenges that people are going to face, and you can always overcome those challenges if you are down to do that.”
Casey said he is currently in a break period after recently winning nationals with Team Tennessee. He said he is currently waiting to see if he will qualify for the World Games held in Berlin, Germany next June.
“Right now, we’re just waiting patiently to see if God has that in store for me and see if I’ll get to go,” Casey said. “If I do, we’re going to start a heavy load of training but right now we are just hoping to see myself competing for the USA team in Berlin.”
