Eileen Cikamatana starts Commonwealth Games preparations as she eyes to win more medals

Weightlifting sensation Eileen Cikamatana has headed back to Noumea, New Caledonia to start her preparation for next year’s Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia.

This was confirmed by Weightlifting Fiji’s general secretary Ritesh Ratiram who is also at the Pacific Mini Games in Port Vila, Vanuatu.

“The weightlifting team at the Pacific Mini Games won 9 gold, 8 silver and 10 bronze medals making this the best ever outing at any Pacific Games,” he said.

“Weightlifting Fiji is thankful to the Fiji Government, Fiji National Sports Commission, FASANOC, Paul and Lilly Coffa, Weightlifting Institute, Oceania Weightlifting Federation, Fiji Searoad Limited, media, well-wishers and the general public for their support.”

ON FIRE

Cikamatana was on fire when she competed in the women’s 90kg category where she broke her Commonwealth record of 142kg she set in Ashgabat by lifting 143kg in the clean and jerk competition. She lifted 105kg in the snatch to get a total of 248kg. She won three gold medals for Fiji with that lift.

This is the 44th record she has broken this year in the 90kg competition. At the Mini Games she broke the Commonwealth Junior, Commonwealth Senior, Oceania Junior and Oceania Senior records with the lift of 143kg. She missed a lift of 112kg in the snatch which would have also given her another Commonwealth record.

TOP OF THE WORLD

“Winning three gold medals means the world to me, since it’s my first time competing in the Pacific Mini Games; I feel like am on top of the world,” said the excited and happy 18-year-old.

Cikamatana is a young woman who found passion in sport, particularly in weightlifting, but coupled it with her home studies.

“I just finished my exams on Friday before I came to Vanuatu on Saturday to represent my country in this Mini Games. My first international event was the 2015 Pacific Games in Port Moresby, PNG, but I have competed mostly at home in big sporting events.”

STRONG OPPONENTS

In Port Vila, she came up against opponents Harry Lorraine Henao from Papua New Guinea, Fiapule Lesila from Samoa, and Eliko Togafiti from Tuvalu.

“Every time I go to competitions I just wait for instructions the coaches give me; and coming to Vanuatu for the Mini Games, it was my wish to have medals and now it really works, caused I’ve got it in my hands.

“My family are even more happy than I am because of my achievement; they have watched the Mini Games competition live from Fiji.”

National coach Joe Vueti said, “it was phenomenal to see Cikamatana break that record’.

Edited by Leone Cabenatabua

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