Archive from 2014

Kiribati’s first medal is Gold

Kiribati celebrated the first Commonwealth Games medal in its history as KATOATAU David (KIR) took Gold in the Men’s 105kg after the Women’s +75kg where USMAN Maryam (NGR) won Gold. Women’s +75kg USMAN turned the tables on the women who defeated her at Delhi 2010 as she succeeded with all 6 lifts to beat Samoa’s OPELOGE Ele (SAM). USMAN took advantage of a surprise failed lift by OPELOGE in the Snatch to pile on the weight and the pressure in the Clean and Jerk, leaving OPELOGE needing to make up a massive 10kg deficit on her final lift to defend her title. But the record breaking attempt was never likely and she finished on a Total of 271kg, behind USMAN on 280kg (still 5kg less than OPELOGE’s Total record from Delhi 2010). ACASON Deborah (AUS) who took the Bronze behind them in Delhi was knocked off the podium by a late charge from LAMBRECHS Tracey (NZL) who finished with a Total of 237kg – 1kg ahead of the Australian. Men’s 105kg KATOATAU had been in 4th place after the Snatch but waited for all the other competitors to end their competition in the Clean and Jerk to finally come out with 194kg and seal his place in history. His lift beat the 341kg Total of CHALAEV Stanislav (NZL) by 1kg and he came back to succeed with another lift of 200kg before 205kg proved to be too much. He ended the competition with a winning Total of 348kg. WATSON Benjamin (ENG) won Bronze and England’s first Men’s weightlifting medal since Manchester 2002 with a Total of 337kg. CHALAEV’s Silver is his second in a row in the Men’s 105kg. KATOATAU David (KIR) said about his celebration dance: “I like dancing and

Commonwealth Weightlifting Federation Electoral Congress

On 30 July 2014, the Commonwealth Weightlifting Federation held its Electoral Congress at the Glasgow Caledonia University on the occasion of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. This is the 77th year since its foundation in 1947. 37 nations of the Commonwealth participate in the weightlifting competition here in Glasgow. During its Congress, the Commonwealth Weightlifting Federation awarded Honorary Membership to Matthew Curtain, Commonwealth Games Federation Director of Sport. When receiving the recognition, Matthew Curtain said: “My contribution to weightlifting lasts only 28 years and so I’m humbled and overwhelmed by this recognition.” The CWF’s Trafalgar Trophy is the Men’s Trophy for the Commonwealth Games Men Event and was won for the first time in 1974 by New Zealand. Andrew Daubney (PNG) donated a Women’s Trophy for the Commonwealth Games Women Event named the Daubney Perpetual Trophy. The Trophy which is worth 25.000 USD is built in a pyramid shape in 18 karat Gold and it is the mystic symbol of Women which signifies “Wisdom, Courage, and Power”. It was symbolically presented to Dato Ong Poh Eng and will be awarded at the end of the competition to the Best Female Team. 36 voting countries took part in the election of the CWF. The President and General Secretary / Treasurer were unanimously elected with no opposition. President: Dato Ong Poh Eng (MAS) Secretary General / Treasurer: Paul Coffa (AUS) Vice Presidents (6): Kevin J. du Plooy (RSA) Shri Birendra Prasad Baishya (IND) Tom Liaw (SIN) Gary Marshall (NZL) Hafiz Imran Butt (PAK) Sir John Dawanincura (PNG) Executive Board Members (6): Philip Maunder (AUS) Jesmond Caruana (MLT) Dr. Mike Irani (ENG) Ssenkungu Salim Musoke (UGA) Andrew B. Callender (BAR) Mohyuddin Ahmad (BAN) Assistant Secretary Trent Dabwido (NRU) Congratulations to all elected

Commonwealth Games testing / Nigeria

Commonwealth Games Federation CEO, Mike Hooper, has announced that Nigerian weightlifter, Chika Amalaha, has been issued with a notice of disclosure after returning an adverse analytical finding from a in-competition test on July 25, and has been provisionally suspended from the 20th Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Ms Amalaha won the gold medal in the Women’s 53-kilogram division. The athlete’s A sample was found to contain both amiloride and hydrochlorothiazide, both prohibited as diuretics and masking agents under class s5 of WADA’s Prohibited List. Ms Amalaha has pursued her right to have her B sample tested, which will take place at the accredited laboratory in London on July 30. Source CGF IWF Comments The sport of weightlifting has always been a leading sport in terms of the fight against doping in general and its number of doping control samples in particular. With 1240 test already conducted in 2014, the IWF aims to clean up the sport and reach to a fair competition environment. This impressive amount of testing, education seminars and prevention, contributes in raising awareness among athletes, officials, while at the same time the IWF also uses strict sanctioning. Willing to protect our clean athletes, we accept no violation the IWF Anti-Doping Policy and target those countries having significant violations in the past, and others suspicious criteria. Prior to Glasgow 2014, the Nigerian Team proceeded to late athlete replacement concerning a high number of lifters. Nigeria was one of the countries under the scope of the IWF for this competition. There was and is an excellent cooperation and coordination between the CGF Medical Commission and the IWF and we have shared relevant testing information in order to make the target testing even more effective. Focusing on Youth athletes and grassroots development, the IWF held seminars at each Junior, Youth and Senior World Championships and every Continental Youth Qualification Event to educate the younger generation. Considering the young age of the athlete, the IWF will seriously investigate the entourage as

Canada’s BEAUCHEMIN-NADEAU breaks six records to win Women’s 75kg Gold

BEAUCHEMIN-NADEAU Marie-Eve (CAN) smashed the Commonwealth Games records for both the Clean and Jerk and Total by 11kg to win Gold in the Women’s 75kg. She broke a total of 6 records on her way to victory and equaled another in the Snatch. The Canadian lifter was successful in all 6 lifts and staved off the challenges of OPELOGE Mary (SAM). BEAUCHEMIN-NADEAU, 25, Silver Medallist of the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games had 110kg in the Snatch, 140kg in the Clean and Jerk to finish with a Total of 250kg. This is Canada’s first weightlifting Gold of Glasgow 2014 and third weightlifting medal. OPELOGE’s Silver means she becomes the third of her siblings to win a Commonwealth Games medal after brother OPELOGE Niusila took the Men’s 105kg and sister OPELOGE Ele the Women’s +75kg both at Delhi 2010. VAIVAI Apolonia (FIJ) took the Bronze with a Total of 209kg. Men’s 94kg KARI Steven Kakuna (PNG) won Papua New Guinea’s first Gold at the Glasgow 2014 after ending the competition with a Total of 349kg in the Men’s 94kg bodyweight category. Ending second with the same Total but with a higher bodyweight than KARI, RIBOUEM Simplice (AUS) was awarded the Silver. RIBOUEM tried to take the lead with a last Clean and Jerk attempt on 201kg, but failed to control the weight. MALI Chandrakant Dadu (IND) took Bronze with 33okg for table topping India’s 11th weightlifting medal. Scotland’s Delhi 2010 Silver Medallist KIRKBRIDE Peter (SCO) saw his hopes fade away as he failed all three attempts in the Clean and

Cameroon and New Zealand won Gold

FEGUE claims Gold for Cameroon FEGUE Marie (CMR) blitzed the opposition to win in the Women’s 69kg and give Cameroon its first Commonwealth Gold Medal since 2002. But with the medal in the bag, she did not attempt the 133kg lift that would have broken the Commonwealth Games Clean and Jerk Record. Instead she lifted 132kg which equals LASSEN Jean’s (CAN) Record set at the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games for a winning Total of 234kg. She later said it had been a miscalculation based on the emotion of winning Gold. Second placed EBIREGUESELE Itohan (NGR) took the Silver with 222kg ahead of Canada’s ARES-PILON Marie-Josee who takes home Bronze with 214kg after being 4th at Delhi 2010. England’s 15 year old TILER Rebekah (ENG) missed out on Bronze after appearing to have succeeded on her final Clean and Jerk of 123kg, before dropping the weights after a struggle to keep her balance. PATTERSON takes Gold for New Zealand with do-or-die final lift PATTERSON Richard (NZL) saved himself with an all or nothing Clean and Jerk lift to win Gold in a Men’s 85kg competition that exploded into life on the very last attempt, giving New Zealand their first weightlifting medal of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. Both PATTERSON and the Canadian lifter PLAMONDON Pascal (CAN) ended the competition in the Snatch with 151kg leaving third place to THAKUR Vikas (IND). In the Clean and Jerk, the lifter from New Zealand waited to come out until 184kg was announced. He failed twice and had one last chance to win the competition. PATTERSON managed to control the weight at his third attempt and won the Gold in the Total with 335kg. Second place was taken away from the Canadian lifter PLAMONDON finishing third – by THAKUR who also ended with a Total of 333kg but had lighter

New Record in the Snatch for India

ADESANMI wins Nigerian battle to take weightlifting Gold from teammate OKOLI ADESANMI Olauwatoyin (NGR) beat fellow Nigerian and defending champion OKOLI Obioma to Gold in the Women’s 63kg weightlifting on bodyweight, after both finished with a Total of 207kg at the Clyde Auditorium on Sunday. OKOLI needed to lift 123kg in the final Clean and Jerk of the competition - 6kg more than her previous successful attempt – to overtake ADESANMI. But failure to do so left her with Silver, as she weighs 0.99kg more than her 22 year old teammate. India’s 19 year old YADAV Punam (IND) took Bronze with 202kg. Nigeria now tops the weightlifting medal tally with two Gold, three Silver and one Bronze. India is second with two Gold, one Silver and four Bronze. OKOLI almost went out of the competition altogether after two failed Snatch before making her third attempt at 90kg. But it left her 2kg behind ADESANMI going into the Clean and Jerk when she put pressure on her teammate with lifts of 111kg and 117kg. ADESANMI made her first attempt of 115kg but she failed on two attempts at 120kg. That could have opened the door for OKOLI but the Delhi 2010 champion failed on the Clean. India’s SIVALINGAM breaks Snatch Record to take Gold in hard-fought contest Indian debutant SIVALINGAM Satish (IND) broke the Commonwealth Games Record for the Snatch with a mark of 149kg and kept his nerve on the way to Gold in the Men’s 77kg. His rivals had brief hope in the Clean and Jerk, but his second lift of 179kg sealed a Total of 328kg and India’s 5th Weightlifting Gold here in Glasgow. Teammate KATULU Ravi’s (IND) Silver with 317kg consolidated India’s position on top of Medal Tally over Nigeria, but the event’s most extraordinary moment came when ETOUNDI Francois (AUS) came from down the field adding 7kg to his final Clean and Jerk to jump into what would prove to be Bronze finish, knocking OLIVER Jack (ENG) off the podium. ETOUNDI finished with a Total of 314kg to OLIVER’s 313kg. The contest began to heat up as a group of 4 lifters hustled for supremacy in the Snatch, with Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Champion in the 69kg KATULU and SIVALINGAM waiting in the wings. Oceania Champion ETOUNDI who was 4th in the 69kg at the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games for Cameroun before applying for asylum, set the standard with 137kg but that was immediately battered by OLIVER with 138kg. However, the Indian lifters were taking the competition to another level. After a first missed attempt in the Clean and Jerk, SIVALINGAM and went for 179kg on his next lift and succeeded before failing with an attempt of the Total Record. He ended on 328kg and the Gold while KATULU was awarded the Silver with