Hawke’s Bay powerlifter Daniel Siaosi chasing 180kg at Special Olympics

Special Olympics Hawke's Bay athlete Daniel Siaosi, flanked by coach Greg Mawson (left) and caregiver Brendan Knauf, displays the certificate for his second place at the Whanganui competition in July this year.

When Napier powerlifter Daniel Siaosi steps on to the platform at next week’s Special Olympics National Summer Games, competing among more than 1200 athletes, it will mark both his first major competition and the culmination of nearly a decade of determination.

The 33-year-old, who lives with dyspraxia and developmental delay, will represent Special Olympics Hawke’s Bay in Christchurch, competing in the squat, bench and deadlift.

Today, his personal bests tell the story of a transformed athlete, lifting 179kg in the deadlift, which is his favourite discipline, 142kg in the squat, and 65kg in the bench press.

At his most recent competition, in Whanganui in July, he placed second overall with a 350kg total lift.

Siaosi’s powerlifting coach, Napier city councillor Greg Mawson, says the goal is to see that deadlift edge over 180kg in Christchurch.

“He’s got natural strength”, Mawson said.

“My first priority was technique and safety, and from there we just built slowly.”

Siaosi has been training for nine years under the guidance of Mawson, alongside caregiver Brendan Knauf.

“The trust between the three of us is everything. I call us the dream team,” Mawson says.

Knauf was the first to recognise Siaosi’s strength at the gym.

He started lifting 20kg as a warm-up, says Knauf, then “second week in the gym, he was lifting double what he started with”.

“He outdoes everyone in our Disability Training Services [DTS] gym group.”

Siaosi trains twice a week at Mawson’s private studio in Napier and once weekly with a DTS gym group. Before every session, he and Knauf take a 15-minute walk, a simple ritual that helps him settle and focus.

“We just talk about what’s on his mind, and he settles into it ... It gets him in the zone,” Knauf says.

Siaosi says powerlifting brought more than strength.

Before the sport, he spent his days making crayfish pots. He says the gym offered him confidence, connection and a sense of belonging.

“It’s cool. I feel strong. I like being with my friends,” he says.

Next week’s Games will bring a series of firsts: his first major competition, first flight, and first time in the South Island.

His expectations are modest.

“Have fun. And maybe get lots of medals,” Siaosi said with a grin.

He will join 50 Hawke’s Bay athletes travelling to Christchurch to compete in swimming, bocce, bowling, golf, football and powerlifting.

Team manager Anne Donovan, who has volunteered for 21 years at the Special Olympics, and assistant manager Margaret Baker, with nearly four decades of service, will lead the delegation.

The 2025 National Summer Games, held from December 10 to 14, is New Zealand’s largest celebration of inclusion through sport.

The event will bring together more than 1200 athletes with intellectual disabilities from 42 clubs nationwide competing in 10 sports across Christchurch.