Samoa’s Seine Stowers claims gold at Commonwealth Games
Stowers’ Gold Medal Performance
Seine Stowers, an 18-year-old weightlifter representing Samoa, has secured a gold medal at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games. Competing in the women’s 77kg category, Stowers achieved a Games record in the snatch with a lift of 107kg. She followed this with a 130kg lift in the clean-and-jerk, culminating in a Games record total of 237kg.
Stowers, who hails from Fa‘ala Palauli and Sasa‘ai, Savai‘i, topped the snatch standings, outperforming Canada’s Rosalie Dumas, who lifted 102kg, and New Zealand’s Georgia Theron, who placed third with 100kg. In the clean and jerk, Stowers successfully completed a 125kg lift on her initial attempt before achieving 130kg on her second. Her third attempt at 133kg, which would have established a new Commonwealth Games record, was not approved by the jury.
The silver medal in the event was awarded to England’s Isabella Brown, who recorded a total lift of 229kg. Wales’ Laura Hughes earned the bronze medal with a total lift of 224kg. Stowers’ victory marks Samoa’s second medal at the Glasgow Games, following a silver medal won by John Tafi in weightlifting earlier in the week.
Previous Achievements and Family Legacy
This gold medal adds to Stowers’ previous accomplishments in weightlifting. Last year, at the Australian Weightlifting Championships, she set three youth world records in the women’s 77kg division. During that competition, she lifted 107kg in the snatch and 137kg in the clean and jerk, achieving a record total of 244kg.
The Stowers family has a history of success in the Commonwealth Games. Seine’s older sister, Feagaiga, won a gold medal at the 2018 Games held on the Gold Coast, competing in the over 90kg category. Four years later, Feagaiga secured a silver medal in the 87+kg category at the Birmingham Games.
Other Pacific Island Performances
Beyond Stowers’ gold, other Pacific island athletes also competed in various events at the Glasgow Games. In weightlifting, Emmanuel Shalom Palota Ulimasao of Samoa finished sixth in the men’s 94kg category. Another Samoan competitor, 17-year-old Sefulu Seuao, participated in the women’s 86kg event. After the snatch portion, she was in seventh place with a lift of 96kg, ultimately finishing sixth with a total lift of 219kg.
In track and field, several Pacific island athletes achieved season’s best performances. Fiji’s Heleina Valetta Young ran a season’s best of 24.45 seconds in the women’s 200m heats, though this time was not sufficient for qualification, as the slowest qualifying time was 23.88 seconds. Tuvalu’s Vaioleta Luka also recorded a season’s best in the same event, but her time was not officially recorded due to disqualification. Papua New Guinea’s Isila Apkup ran her heat in 25.88 seconds, placing sixth.
The men’s mile event saw season’s best times from Fiji’s Yeshnil Karan, who ran 4:12:28, and PNG’s Jiuteis Robinson, with a time of 4:19:14; however, neither advanced. In the men’s 400m hurdles heats, PNG’s Daniel Baul and William Camilus Peka both achieved season’s bests of 52.83 seconds and 54.16 seconds respectively, but did not progress. Nauru’s Jonathan-Deiwea Detageouwa and Tonga’s Penisimani Taeiloa qualified for the final of the men’s shotput, scheduled for Friday morning.
Niue’s Caleb Misipeka threw a personal best of 11.10 metres but did not make the cut in his event. In the women’s shotput, Tonga’s Ata Maama Tu’utafaiva and Samoa’s Nu’u Tuilefano competed, finishing eighth and eleventh respectively in the field of eleven competitors.
In boxing, Fiji’s Jasmine Daunakamakama defeated Sri Lanka’s Keshani Hansika in the women’s 57kg quarterfinals, guaranteeing her a medal as there is no bronze medal fight in boxing. However, Samoa’s Michael Seko lost his quarterfinal match in the men’s 90+kg category to India’s Narender Narender, and Samoa’s Marion Ah Tong was beaten by Scotland’s Sonny Kerr in the men’s 70kg event. In lawn bowls, Norfolk Island’s Shae Wilson secured a win over Namibia’s Diana Viljoen in the women’s singles. The Tonga Tala netball team experienced a significant defeat, losing 94-31 to England.
Source: rnz.co.nz
