Nick Ponzio retires at 28: ‘I was pushed out of athletics’

The blue weightlifter Nick Pontius leaves the sport at 28 years old. A bolt from the blue hits one of the best talents in Italian athletics in the aftermath of the Drake Relays of Des Moines, race closed in 4th place with a decent 20.59. Ponzio, born in San Diego but naturalized Italian thanks to the Sicilian origins of a great-grandfather, also has a record of 21.83. The Italian passport arrived in 2021, the year in which he competed at the Tokyo Games, coming out in qualifying. In 2022 he was 9th at the Outdoor World Championships in Eugene and 4th at the European Championships in Munich.

The post: “I was pushed out of the sport”

This is the content of the long post published by Ponzio on Instagram. “This is not my decision, nor what I want to do, but it is beyond my control. I will make a video to explain everything in its entirety so everyone will understand very soon when everything is made official. I have currently been pushed out of the sport and am no longer deemed acceptable to compete professionally for the foreseeable future. The last few months have been extremely difficult for me in many ways, and it no doubt shows in my performances and my daily livelihood. I wish I could continue to be “the showman” for all of you, and make you enjoy watching our beloved sport with a smile on your face, but right now, the controllers say that can’t be the case.” Pontius also renounced the Botswana Golden Grand Prix of Gaborone, the capital of the African country, scheduled for Saturday 29 April.