Ridge Barredo’s description of the knee injury that ended his Commonwealth Games weightlifting campaign is enough to turn most of us off even watching the sport for good.<\/p>\n
“I heard it pop on the third attempt, I tried to give it my all and I heard it pop [out] and pop back in,” he said of his failed third snatch attempt in the men’s 110kg class.<\/p>\n
“Just to feel it was a little bit scary. Initial pain was an eight or nine out of 10.”<\/p>\n
Barredo said it was the first time he had ever experienced an injury like that, sustained as he tried to throw 162 kilograms over his head.<\/p>\n
Loading Instagram content<\/p>\n
By the time he spoke to media, having been helped off the Armadillo stage, he said he was just “a little bit uncomfortable” and described the pain as down to a six or seven out of 10.<\/p>\n
This was his third Commonwealth Games and the 30-year-old vowed to be back at Amdavad in four years.<\/p>\n
“It’s not the end. I’m still relatively young, still hungry for it, still want to be the best in Australia,” he said.<\/p>\n
“I’m not done yet, no way. Not a chance. I’ll be back for sure. Four times, watch, mark my words.”<\/p>\n
And he said this difficult and painful journey is still preferable to a return to the scene that made his descriptor on Google not “athlete” or “weightlifter”, but “internet personality”.<\/p>\n
That’s thanks to his turn on reality TV show Married At First Sight three years ago.<\/p>\n
One of only a handful of successful couples from the program, Barredo and wife Jade are still together.<\/p>\n
Loading Instagram content<\/p>\n
Jade and daughter Victoria were in the crowd watching as he suffered his injury.<\/p>\n
And while the program worked out for him, Barredo says his TV days are over.<\/p>\n
“My TV career is definitely done, I’ve found my partner. I’m off reality TV. Wouldn’t recommend it,” he said.<\/p>\n
“If you want to have some fun in a toxic environment, go for it, but personally I wouldn’t be going back.”<\/p>\n
He’s not the only Games athlete shunning the reality TV scene (for now) with Scottish swimmer Katie Shanahan revealing she had to make a choice to continue swimming or go on Love Island last year<\/a>.<\/p>\n