2 Oceania silvers to Luisa

Sole Cook Islands female weightlifter Luisa Peters has lifted her way to two silver medals at the recent Commonwealth and Oceania Weightlifting competition hosted by Samoa.

The event, held from June 4 to 9, was one of the largest weightlifting gathering in the Pacific attracting lifters from all over the Commonwealth for the competition which was also an Olympic qualifying event.

Eighteen-year-old Peters stepped out on stage for the women’s 75kg plus category alongside Commonwealth gold medallist Ele Opelenge, Tracey Lambrech of New Zealand and Deborah Acason of Australia.

The youngest lifter in the category, Peters confidently and strongly pulled off all six lifts – three in the snatch and three in the clean and jerk divisions.

”I felt confident and strong going into the comp but knew I had to do well to get a good ranking,“ says Peters.

Of the six clean lifts Peters’ best attempts were 80kg in the snatch and 98kg in the clean and jerk for a total lift of 178kg.

”It was a tough comp as I was trying to beat the Indian girl, we both snatched the same so I knew I had to clean and jerk more than her to beat her because she was lighter than me, so I went out there and gave it my all.“

The home grown youngster’s fantastic efforts earned her a silver medal in the Commonwealth Junior and Oceania Junior divisions. Peters now takes a well earned break, mainly to celebrate her 19th birthday next month, before returning to the gym to improve her lifting skills as she continues to represent the Cook Islands in weightlifting to the best of her ability.

Peters was accompanied to Samoa by team manager Sam Pera Snr who was appointed as one of the vice presidents of the Oceania Weightlifting Association.

Peters would like to thank the Cook Islands community in Samoa for looking after her and her coaches and to all who have supported her and continue to support her lifting efforts.