HERALD WEEKLY ISSUE 597: 05 January 2012

Weightlifters end year with creditable rankings
Cook Islands weightlifters, Sam Pera Jnr, Sirla Pera and Louisa Peters all performed well at the South Pacific Games in Noumea in September last year and have concluded their 2011 competitive season with respectable rankings in Oceania and the South Pacific according to the 2011 rankings just released by Paul Coffer of the Oceania Weightlifting Federation.
Sam Pera Jnr had the high rankings in his category 105+kg, of second in the South Pacific ( total 350kg-snatch 160kg, clean and jerk 190kg) and third in Oceania (same lifts). Ahead of Sam in the South Pacific rankings is the very experienced Itte Detenamo of Nauru with a total of 413kg. The older Itte is about 18kg heavier than Sam. In the Oceania rankings, Itte leads with Australian Damon Kelly in second place with a total lift of 376kg. Kelly is older and heavier than Sam but Sam will soon overtake Kelly if he continues to train hard. Weightlifters just get better as they get older and begin to excel when they hit their 30s. Sam is just 22yrs old.
In the 105kg category, Sam’s most promising younger brother, Sirla Pera (19yrs) does not make the Oceania rankings but in the South Pacific rankings he is placed 8th with a total of 265kg (snatch 115kg, clean and jerk 150kg). The Samoan Niusila Opeloge heads the 105kg category with a total of 346kg. The Samoan is 12 yrs older than Sirla.
Our only female lifter, the relatively inexperienced Louisa Peters (18yrs old), ends the year with a creditable ranking of 4th for 2011 in the South Pacific with a total of 175kg in the 77+kg category (snatch 80kg, clean and jerk 95kg). Heading this group is the vastly experienced medal winner Samoan Ele Opeloge with a total of 281kg. Ele is much older (26yrs old)and heavier (123.5kg body weight) than Peters (88kg body weight). Peters ended with a ranking of 10th in the Oceania rankings again behind Ele. Peters has time on her side and with more competition, training and experience she should develop into a very good, medal winning lifter.
Good lifters will improve upon their total by some 25kg per year. The best lifters do not reach their potential until their 30’s so all three of our lifters have a bright future ahead of them. All are potential future medal winners at the highest level. While Sam Jnr has already won many medals at Oceania and South Pacific level, he is a prospect for a Commonwealth Games medal if he remains focused.-Charles Pitt

Herald Issue 554 09 March
- Norm exposes Trio of Doom
- Briefs from PM’s media conference Tuesday
- Tourism Industry ponders $5 million draft strategy
- Norman George resigns from Cook Islands Party
- Letter of Resignation from CIP
- Norman selfish says Prime Minister

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