2019 Pacific Games

Pacific Games to crown fastest man

New Caledonia continue to lead the medals table from host nation Samoa, while a strong showing on the track lifted Papua New Guinea into fifth overall.

Papua New Guinea won six medals on the first day of athletics, including gold in the men's 3000m steeplechase and the women's 5000m.

That was enough to lift the reigning Pacific Games champions above Australia into fifth place overall with 13 gold, 22 silver and 13 bronze medals.

New Caledonia's shooters were on target in the team 25m short pistol to bring their total haul to 43 gold and 94 medals in all.

Incredible night at swimming as records tumble

The crowd exploded in cheers as Samoa's medal-winning Lauren Sale readied herself on the block for the women’s 200m individual medley, the first race of the evening.

Matelita Buadromo of Fiji had a strong showing during the preliminary rounds and New Caledonia’s May Toven looked to podium as well. The buzzer sounded and the women were off.

Samoan lifter Leotina Petelo reigns with 7 gold medals

Petelo won 3 gold in the Pacific Games Women’s 81kg category, Oceania Juniors, Oceania Women’s 81kg A and the Commonwealth Juniors and 81kg A category.

The silver medals went to Papua New Guinea and Nauru won bronze.

 

Photo Samoa Weightlifting Federation. Caption: Golden girl Leotina Petelo (2nd from right) with Deputy Head of State, Honorable Le Mamea Ropati.

 

     

Samoa’s Jack Opeloge hauls in six medals

The gold medals were collected in the 81kg men’s category, Oceania Junior and Commonwealth Junior.

Opeloge, 18, also set a new Oceania record.

He won two silver medals including one for the Oceania Senior Division.

Opeloge won a bronze in the 81kg Clean & Jerk event.

Other Samoan champion lifters Leotina Petelo, Loto Pereira and Don Opeloge are also competing today.

 

Photo Samoa Weighlifting Federation Caption: Samoa's Golden Boy, Jack Opeloge with the Deputy Head of State of Samoa, Honourable Le Mamea Ropati

     

Samoan PM withdraws from archery at Pacific Games

Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi, 74, voluntarily withdrew from Friday's bronze medal event in archery mixed doubles compound category to allow his 17-year-old team mate to compete.

Mathew Tauiliili is the youngest member of Samoa’s archery team, and also the top male compound shooter in the team. He will play in the bronze medal decider with Tahiti at the Sports Fields, Faleata.

Gold medals galore for Samoan weightlifter Nevo Ioane

Ioane, 31, also set a new Oceania record in the men’s 67kg category.

He won gold for the Oceania and Commonwealth competitions.

The other gold medals were in the Snatch with a lift of 125kg, Clean & Jerk 164kg and 289kg Overall.

Ruben Katoatau of Kiribati won silver and Nauru’s Ezekiel Moses won the bronze medal in the same category.

 

Samoa PM Tuilaepa in bronze medal contention

He will be competing in the Mixed Doubles Compound Category along with one of the youngest member of the Samoa archery team and bronze medallist Naifoua Vise Timai.

They will be taking on Tahiti for the bronze in Fridays’ finals.

And while the Prime Minister is reserving his predictions saying that he will do his talking on the field, 19- year old Timai is overly confident.

“To compete side by side with Samoa’s longest serving Prime Minister to represent Samoa? I don’t have the words to describe it,” said the Leulumoega Fou College graduate.

Samoa win gold and bronze in 50 backstroke

Rova Cheyenne of Fiji won silver, and Samoa had more joy with Jelani Wetzell snatching bronze to see the hosts claim two of the three spots on the podium.

“I couldn’t even see my place, I just heard the cheering,” Stickland laughed. “I’m really proud to do it for the team, and we also had Jelani on the podium as well, so to share it with her was awesome.”

Tuvalu overcome 3-day voyage to spring beach volleyball surprise

In Tuesday’s pool matches at Apia Waterfront, Tuvalu’s Saaga Malosa and Amalamo Talake defeated PNG’s Richard Batari and Loi Walo in straight sets, although the PNG pair are not the same players that won gold at the Port Moresby XV 2015 Pacific Games.

Along with the rest of Team Tuvalu, Malosa and Talake endured a three-day voyage to reach Samoa. They only arrived on Saturday before attending Sunday night’s opening ceremony and going straight into action on Monday.

Gold and silver for Samoan weightlifter Sekolasitika Isaia

Eighteen-year old Sekolasitika Isaia took out the gold medal in the Women/Juniors 59kg Group A category in the Oceania Competition Wednesday.

Isaia also won silver in the same category for the Commonwealth Competition also underway on Apia.

India won gold in the Commonwealth event.

Isaia previously won 2 silver medals at the Pacific Mini Games in Vanuatu in 2017 and a bronze medal at the Oceania meet in New Caledonia in 2018.

 

Photo Samoa Weightlifting Fed. Caption:  Samoa's Sekolasitika Isaia (left) waiting to receive her medal.