Don Opeloge of Samoa celebrates his victory in the Men's Weightlifting 96kg at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. Photo / Getty Images
Don Opeloge of Samoa celebrates his victory in the Men's Weightlifting 96kg at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. Photo / Getty Images
The Commonwealth Games are officially over - and six Pacific countries are heading home with medals, including a gold for one and a historic first medal for another.
A total of 13 medals have been earned by team members from Samoa, Fiji, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Nauru and Vanuatu.
Themost successful Pasifika nation at this year's event in Birmingham was Samoa, whose athletes gained a total of five medals made up of four silver and one gold.
Samoa: 1 gold, 4 silver
Weightlifter Don Opeloge will return home to Samoa with the precious gold medal he earned in the men's 96kg category, with a total lift of 381kg - a new Commonwealth Games record.
He has also set new Games records for the Snatch (171kg) and Clean and Jerk (381kg).
The Opeloge surname is well-known in weightlifting circles and particularly in Samoa, with the family known for its love and passion for the sport.
Don Opeloge, 23, follows in the footsteps of siblings Niusila and Ele Opeloge, who made history at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, where the brother and sister duo both struck gold in their respective weightlifting categories.
Don Opeloge of Samoa celebrates his victory in the Men's Weightlifting 96kg at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. Photo / Getty Images
Three other medals for Samoa, all silver, were earned in weightlifting.
Opeloge's younger brother, Jack Opeloge, gained a medal in the 109kg category; while Feagaiga Stowers turned up big time for the women's 87 plus category - picking up a silver medal in her event.
Weightlifter Vaipava Nevo Ioane gained silver in the men's 67kg category.
However, the more precious prize was back home in Samoa, where his wife had just given birth to a son a few days earlier and who was then named in honour of his father's success at the Games - Birmingham.
Samoa's last Silver medal went to heavyweight boxer Ato Plodzicki-Faoagali, who made it to the final against local favourite Lewis Williams earlier this week.
This is the 23-year-old's second Commonwealth Games medal after winning silver at the 2018 Games in the Gold Coast. In 2019, he won Gold at the Pacific Games held in Apia, Samoa.
Boxing champs Ato Leau Plodzicki-Faoagali of Samoa(S), Lewis Williams of England (G) and Bronze medallists Edgardo Coumi of Australia and Duken Tutakitoa-Williams of Niue. Photo / Getty
Historic first medal for Niue: 1 bronze
Niueans around the world have been celebrating their first ever Commonwealth Games medal - a Bronze medal earned by boxer Duken Tutakitoa-Williams.
There was delight and excitement even before he went into the ring in the semi-final; as win or lose, his placing meant he was guaranteed a medal - the small Pacific nation's first Games medal since it first appeared at the tournament in 2002.
Tutakitoa-Williams, who hails from the village of Liku, in Niue, won the NZ national Cruiserweight title earlier this year and was chose to join the Niuean team going to Birmingham just a few months ago.
Fiji: 2 silver, 2 bronze
The team from Fiji takes home four medals this year - two silver and two bronze.
The Fiji Rugby Sevens team - the Flying Fijians - lost 31-7 to South Africa.
Weightlifter Taniela Rainibogi added to the medal tally with his bronze win in the men's 96kg category; sharing the podium with Samoan weightlifter Don Opeloge.
There was a show of Pacific sportsmanship during the medal ceremony, when Opeloge took off his traditional Samoan ula fala (pandanus key necklace) and promptly put it around his Fijian friend's neck.
Fiji's second Bronze medal was won by discuss athlete Naibili Vatunisolo, who competed in the women's F42-44/61-64 category.
It proved to be a memorable Games for Vatunisolo, who was also one of two flag bearers for the Fijian team.
Papua New Guinea: 1 silver
Papua New Guinea's sole silver medal was won by weightlifter Morea Baru, who showed great strength when he lifted 273kg in the men's 61kg category.
He is no stranger to big competitions; having won silver four years ago at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. He has also won the Gold medal twice in the Pacific Games, as well as a silver.
BIRMINGHAM 2022 | Team PNG has bagged its first medal at #Birmingham2022 with weightlifter Morea Baru lifting a total of 273kgs to take out the Silver Medal in the Men's 61kg - Team PNG pic.twitter.com/ackZHaskXM
A 19-year-old weightlifter, Maximina Uepa, is the sole winner of a medal for the nation of Nauru.
Uepa competed in the women's 76kg and came away with the Bronze medal in the category.
Despite her young age, she has an impressive resume - winning the Gold medal at the Pacific Games in 2019 and Silver medal in the Commonwealth Championships in Apia that same year.
She comes from a family of powerlifters and competed in her first international youth competition when she was 12 years old.
— Oceania National Olympic Committees (ONOC) (@oceaniaolympic) August 2, 2022
Vanuatu: 1 bronze
Volleyball players and duo Sherysyn Toko and Miller Pata made their small country of Vanuatu proud when they defeated the New Zealand team to take home the Bronze medal in the beach volleyball women's competition.
