Lifters snatch silver in Fiji

Cook Islands weightlifters Luisa Peters and Sirla Pera have both won two silver medals each at the Oceania Junior and Senior Weightlifting Championships in Fiji this week.

Peters has won two silver medals in the women’s 69kg division while Pera won his in the men’s 94kg division.

Peters lifted in the Oceania women’s 69kg division against some of the region’s best lifters.

She successfully lifted 57kg in her first snatch lift, 60kg in her second lift and 64kg in her final snatch lift.

Peters successfully lifted 77kg in her first clean and jerk lift before dropping her second lift of 80kg.

However ,Peters dug deep for her final clean and jerk lift and successfully lifted 80kg for a total lift of 144kg for the silver medal.

Peters’ total lift was enough for her to win a second silver medal in the Pacific youth women’s division.

Sirla Pera tested himself against some of the region’s most experienced lifters in the Oceania senior men’s division

Pera ended his competition with a snatch of 106kg and a clean and jerk lift of 130kg giving him a total lift of 236kg and 7th place overall in the senior division.

His total lift was enough to win him the silver medals in the Oceania junior men’s 94kg division Pacific junior men’s division.

Pera’s lift also gave him a 5th place ranking in the Pacific senior men’s division.

The championships was also a qualifier for the Youth Olympics in August in Singapore where the countries that placed in the top four (boys) and top three (girls) in the youth championships would qualify one lifter each for the youth games.

At this early stage it appears that both Peters and Pera have achieved the requirements to represent the Cook Islands at the first ever Youth Olympics.

Cook Islands News is awaiting confirmation of this achievement from team coach Sam Pera Snr who is no doubt extremely proud of the performances of his two young teenage lifters.