Miriama Taletawa earned a silver medal in the junior category of the women’s 76kg event at the 2024 Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships, which took place at the Vodafone Arena in Suva on Thursday. Taletawa achieved lifts of 90kg in the snatch and 112kg in the clean and jerk, totaling 202kg.
Reflecting on her experience, Taletawa expressed her joy upon receiving the silver medal, saying, “I felt happy and at the same time excited.” She shared her feelings of nervousness during the competition against top contenders from across the Commonwealth. “When I went up for my first attempt, I was very nervous and scared at the same time,” she noted. After successfully completing her attempts, she was astonished by her results in the snatch category, revealing, “I was shocked to see my result afterwards.”
Taletawa mentioned that her preparation with the Fiji team leading up to the event had been positive, although training sometimes yielded mixed results. “The atmosphere was perfect, and everything was good. The training with teammates had gone well, but on some days, there could be a good lift or a bad one,” she explained.
Looking ahead, Taletawa aims to prepare for future competitions while enhancing her skills to become an even more competitive lifter. She also took a moment to thank her family and team officials for their unwavering support throughout her weightlifting journey, expressing, “Thank you very much for the support and for always being there for me in the good times and bad.”
In addition to her recent achievements, Taletawa is recognized as the current holder of the Fiji Sportswoman of the Year Award. The competition will conclude in the capital with the final events taking place today.