Samoan champion weightlifter, Mary Opeloge is going to Rio knowing the expectations on her performance from her country will be very high.
Opeloge, who won a silver medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, is aware that competition at the Olympic level is a whole new level.
“I have never competed in an Olympic competition before, so this being my first time means a lot of new experiences for me,” she said.
“All I’m doing now is preparing, training and getting my mind ready for the competition,” she said.
Opeloge has several medals to her name from regional competitions.
The 24 year old says despite stepping into unfamiliar territory in Rio, she isn’t afraid to take the challenge head on.
“Right now I am extremely confident. I have been preparing for this chance. I know it is going to be new heights to the game and I’m going to be seeing a lot of new competitors as well. I mean I have been to the Commonwealth and other smaller competitions in the region, but you still feel that confidence,” she said.
“But this is a different feeling. So I’m going to get more confident and do my best for our country,” she said.
The management and SASNOC as a whole are depending on the eight athletes selected to go for a performance that would make Samoa proud, especially with Mary Opeloge.
“The Olympics is filled with countries who have reached extreme levels of competition, so I can’t say I’m going to get that gold because we can’t know that until we play. So the only goal and what I’m going to do, is give this all I got,” she said.
Team Samoa will leave for Rio on Monday.