Year 9 student, 13-year-old Olivia Selemaia, has won double gold in the Commonwealth and Oceania Youth Championships being held at the Pacific Games in Samoa.
It is the first time Olivia has represented New Zealand in an international weightlifting competition. She was so excited that her first lift was declared a ‘no lift’ by the judges as she dropped the bar before they had signaled the all clear.
“I was thinking of training then I got a little bit too excited and I dropped it. I was nervous after that but I just learnt from my mistakes and went from there,” says Olivia.
She came good by lifting 61kgs in the snatch and 80kgs in the clean and jerk to win the two gold medals.
Lifting these weights saw Olivia break three New Zealand under 15 records and three New Zealand youth records as well as securing the two gold medals.
“It is only the second time I’ve ever lifted 80kgs, so I am pretty happy,” concluded Olivia who is pictured at the competition with her delighted and proud mother.
