Cook Islands weightlifters Etoa Puni and Briseis Crighton-Teau achieved personal bests and placed in the top of their divisions at the 2024 New Zealand National Secondary School Weightlifting Championships.

However, the two were ineligible for official placements because they did not attend a New Zealand school.

The New Zealand National Secondary School Weightlifting Championships, held on September 7 and 8, saw young talent from across Aotearoa New Zealand and Rarotonga compete at the Kolmar Papatoetoe Sports Centre.

Puni and Crighton-Teau participated in the competition for the second time and achieved some outstanding results.

Briseis Crighton-Teau achieved personal bests and second in her division at the 2024 New Zealand Secondary Schools Weightlifting Championships. NZ WEIGHTLIFTING/24093003

The Cook Islands duo achieved personal bests and placed in the top of their divisions.

Despite a rocky start in the snatch event, Puni, who competed at the 2024 Auckland Secondary Schools Weightlifting Championships in May this year, achieved impressive results, smashing his competition personal best by 15 kilograms.

Although he placed first in his category, he was not eligible for an official placement in the tournament since he does not attend school in New Zealand.

Puni finished with a personal best total of 173kg, lifting 76kg in the snatch and 97kg in the clean and jerk. The snatch and clean and jerk lifts were also his personal bests.

The New Zealand National Secondary School Weightlifting Championships was Puni’s third overseas competition since taking up the sport seriously in 2023.

Despite initial nerves, Crighton-Teau placed second in her division.

She also could not receive an official placing due to not attending a New Zealand school.

She finished with a total of 131kg, lifting 55kg in the snatch and 76kg in the clean and jerk.

Crighton-Teau first discovered weightlifting at the 2020 Cook Islands Games.

She is member of the Cook Islands Weightlifting Federation and is a high-performance athlete.

Puni and Crighton-Teau are both coached by Luisa Peters, the Cook Islands Weightlifting Federation coach and the former national “golden girl”, having hauled in medals across gold, silver and bronze.

Peters said while it was unfortunate that Puni and Crighton-Teau were unable to place in the NZ competition due to eligibility, “we are grateful for the opportunity provided by NZ Weightlifting to participate in these competitions”.

“This allows our athletes to gain valuable experience and assess how they stack up against other athletes from New Zealand before we send them to major international competitions.”

Peters said they were very pleased with their progress, “which clearly indicates they are on track to achieve their set goals”.

To support Puni and Crighton-Teau’s development in the sport, Peters focuses not only on their physical training but also on their mental preparation, ensuring they are ready for competition when the time comes

The young weightlifters train four times a week, with sessions typically lasting one to two hours. Daily training sessions are to help improve their techniques for Olympic lifts.

The Cook Islands Weightlifting Federation would like to thank and recognise the Puni, Wendt and Peters families for their support in Aotearoa.

“A big meitaki ma’ata as well goes out to Vodafone Cook Islands for their ongoing support and sponsorship for weightlifting.”