Iliesa Tora of RNZ
Nauru has a second medal at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, adding to the Pacific Islands medal haul at the event.
Femily-Crystie Notte, 17, claimed a bronze medal on Tuesday night in the women’s 63kg category in weightlifting.
Notte lifted 100kg in the snatch and 116 in the clean-and-jerk.
The gold went to Canada’s Maude Charron with a Games record total of 232kg, while England’s Sarah Davies Smale took silver.
The top four lifters all surpassed the previous Commonwealth Games record.
“Since joining the Commonwealth Games in 1990, Naoero has proudly upheld a tradition of winning medals on the Commonwealth stage,” the Naoero Weightlifting Federation wrote in a Facebook post.
Notte ensured that this proud legacy continues, it added.
All the Pacific Island medals have so far come in weightlifting: a silver to Samoa, a bronze to PNG and two bronze medals to Nauru.
Athletics
No Pacific runner has been able to get past round one in the men’s 400m or 800m.
Papua New Guinea’s William Camilus Peka ran a personal best time of 49.88s in Heat one of the men’s 400m, finishing seventh in the field of eight.
Fiji’s Howard Tapuaiga Siila ran a season’s best time of 55.96 seconds in heat two, while he was still 9.41 seconds behind the slowest qualifier.
The PNG pair of Adolf Kauba, who ran 50.06s in Heat 5 to finish seventh, and Daniel Baul, in Heat 6 in a time of 49.34s to finish fifth, were also in action.
Boxing
Pacific boxers have fallen at the quarterfinal stage in a number of events overnight.
PNG’s Flora Loga was beaten in her 65kg quarterfinal by Scotland’s Caitlin Rainey when the referee stopped the fight in the second round. She was behind on all five judges scorecards at that time.
Niue’s Karen Te Ruki Pasene, lost on unanimous points decision to Northern Ireland’s Kaci Rock, also in the women’s 65kg division, suffering three knockdowns in the process.
In the men’s 90kg, Niue’s Duken Holo Tutakitoa-Williams, who was favoured to win a medal, lost his quarterfinal to Welshman Connor Williams.
There might be medal prospects in Fiji’s Jasmine Daunakamakama, who is apprearing in the women’s 57kg quarterfinal against Sri Lanka’s Keshani Hansika on Wednesday night, and Samoan duo Michael Seko in the men’s 90kg and Marion Ah Tong in the men’s 70kg.
If the three make it past the quarterfinals and into the semifinals, they will be automatic qualifiers for bronze medals.
Basketball
Tonga women’s team lost 21-12 to Uganda in the repecharge to qualify for the semifinals.
Leading Tonga’s campaign, where they won three and lost two of their pool matches, were the United States of America’s Finau sisters, Lesila and Mele.
The Tongans beat hosts Scotland 12-10, Papua New Guinea 12-10 and Singapore 14-10.
They lost 21-8 to New Zealand and 21-4 to England before their semifinal play-off clash against Uganda.
Tonga’s 3×3 women basketball team had the Finau sisters plus Ana-Rachael Enari and Selai Niu.
“It’s more than just a match,” Mele Finau told the Commonwealth Games media in Glasgow.
She said the opportunity to represent Tonga at the Commonwealth Games alongside her sister carried special meaning following the death of their father.
“We haven’t played together since high school, so I’m about to get emotional,” she said.
“It’s so amazing, especially since our dad passed. This is the main reason why we are doing this, representing him and representing the country.”
Bowls
In the men’s pairs event, the Niue pair of Tifaga Tupuiliu and Keith Papani lost to Wales 2-0 in their game.
Cook Islands Epii Poila and Jason Lindsay took the India team to the wire in their clash, winning the first set 5-2 but then dropping the second 6-5. The game went into tie-break, with India winning 1-0 to take the game home.
In the women’s singles competition, Catherine Papani lost to Guernsey’s Ali Merren 2-0.
But Cook Islands Emily Jim proved too tactical for Malta’s Connie-Leigh Rixon, winning both sets 5-4, 9-6.
England’s Sam Tolchard, who had lost to Fiji’s Rajnesh Prasad in his opening game in the men’s singles, took home the gold medal with a 2-0 win over Malaysia’s Izzat Shameer Dzulkeple, while the English women pair of Amy Pharaoh and Sian Honnor won gold in the women’s double, also defeating Malaysia in the process.
Swimming
Cook Islands swimmer Jacob Story finished eighth in the men’s 200m breaststroke final.
The 18-year-old Story clocked a time of two minutes and 14.48 seconds, finishing last of the finalists but swimming half a second faster than his qualification time.
The gold went to Filip Nowacki, claiming Jersey’s first-ever Commonwealth Games gold medal.
Also in the pool, Fiji’s Anahira McCutcheon qualified for the semifinal of the women’s 50m freestyle but not the final.
She clocked 25.45s in heat eight.
Nafanua Hamilton of Samoa finished fourth in her heat of the women’s 200m individual medley, in a time of 2 minutes 25.37s.
PNG’s Josh Tarere was fourth in the men’s 50m butterfly heats with a time of 27.05s, while Fiji’s Reuben Taylor finished fourth in his heat in 26.18s, and PNG’s Thomas Chen eighth with a time of 26.68s in the same heat.
Tonga’s Finau Ohuafi was fith in his pool in 25.60s, Johann Stickland of Samoa second in his heat in 24.91s, while Fiji’s Hansel McCaig recorded a time of 25s flat to finish fifth in his heat.
Fijian David Young missed out of qualifying for the final rounds by .03 seconds, stopping the clock at 24.28s, just outside England’s Matthew Hamilton, who qualified in 24.25s.
The PNG trio of Jhnayali Tokome-Garap, Roxanne Kirarock and Joanna Chen finished second to fourth in their heat of the women’s 50m freestyle, while Tonga’s Vaoahi Afu finished second in her heat.
But all four did not make it into the semifinals.
Meanwhile, the Malolo Swimming Club have congratulated their two swimmers representing Tonga, Vaoahi Afu and Finau Ohuafi, on their performances.
The club said Afu recorded a personal best time of 29.43s in the women’s 50m freestyle, while finishing second in her heat.
Ohuafi, finished off fifth in his men’s 50m Butterfly race.
“Finau delivered another strong performance in a quality international field, capping off a successful Commonwealth Games campaign that included an outstanding personal best in the men’s 50m freestyle earlier in the competition,” the club said in a statement.
“Congratulations to both athletes for proudly representing Tonga Aquatics, and Team Tonga on the Commonwealth Games stage.
“Your commitment, discipline, and determination continue to inspire the next generation of swimmers.”
Both, like other Tongan swimmers, train in the open sea back home in Nuku’alofa as the country does not have a proper swimming pool where the swimmers can train and compete in.
Weightlifting
Nauru’s Marcinary Cook finished ninth in the men’s 88kg, with a total lift of 290kg. He lifted 130kg in the snatch and 160kg in the clean and jerk.
New Zealand’s Olivia Shalom Selemaia, who has Pasifika heritage, did not qualify when she competed in the women’s 69kg.
Samoa’s Emmnauel Shalom Palota Ulimasao is set to compete in the men’s 94kg on Friday morning.
Australia’s Fiji-born lifter Eileen Floanna Maria Cikamatana is also scheduled to compete on Friday in the women’s 86kg, in a field that also includes Samoa’s Sefulu Seuao, Vanuatu’s Ajah Pritchard Lolo and New Zealand Fijian Litia Sipola Nacagilevu.
The competition continues until 2 August.
Australia leads the medal tally with a total haul of 80 medals at the moment, which is made up of 35 gold, 18 silver and 27 bronze.
Canada has replaced England at number two with 13 gold, 10 silver and 12 bronze, while England sits third with 10 gold, 18 silver and 15 bronze.
New Zealand are eighth, with three gold, seven silver and three bronze to their name.
Samoa is currently 17, Nauru at 21 and PNG at 22.
This story was first published on rnz.co.nz
