YOUNG female weight-lifters Sofia Koto Kinikinilau and Ulina Tinaiadivila Sagone won a gold medal each on the day two of the competition in the 2016 Oceania Weightlifting Championship at Vodafone Arena in Suva yesterday.
Kinikinilau won gold in the women’s 53kg youth event with a total lift of 130kg with a snatch of 55kg and a clean and jerk of 75kg beating New Zealand’s Paige Lawgun who finished with a lift of 123kg.
Sagone finished better than Lawgun in the junior category with a gold lift of 127kg, a snatch of 62kg and a clean and jerk of 65kg while Lawgun had to settle for silver medal with a total lift of 123kg.
Weightlifting Fiji vice-president Della Shaw was proud of the duo’s achievement.
“We are really excited for Sofia as she participated in her only second international championship,” she said.
“This girl she had improved immensely over the past months.
“She used to have a snatch of 50kg and a clean and jerk of 60kg. However, she lifted 10kg more today (yesterday). She is only 15-years old but she did very well.”
Sagone who is also in the senior side vying for a place in the Olympic Games. She also won a gold medal in the Commonwealth Youth Games in Apia, Samoa last year.
“Ulina was also at her best as we are all in the line for the placing,” she added.
“We are having Apolonia Vaivai and Eileen Cikamatana in action tomorrow (today) and the fans needs to come and support these young athletes.
“We are confident of our chances to qualify for the Olympic Games.”
In the men’s catergory Fiji needs to be ranked in the top five while a top four ranking women’s team will see Fiji going to Olympics.
