Nehemiah Elder, a talented 15-year-old weightlifter, joyfully accepted the Vodafone Young Male Athlete of the Year Award at the Fiji Sports Awards last Saturday at the Vodafone Arena in Suva. His achievement was celebrated with enthusiastic applause as he was one of three weightlifters from Weightlifting Fiji to be recognized for exceptional performances in the past year.
Elder’s accolade honors his success in various competitions, including club, district, and national events throughout the previous year. He notably clinched the Oceania Weightlifting 73kg Youth title, where he set new records in both the snatch and clean and jerk categories.
In his acceptance speech, Elder expressed heartfelt gratitude to his supporters and acknowledged the spiritual guidance he received leading up to this recognition. “I’d like to thank the Lord for giving me the talent and for giving me this award,” he remarked. He also thanked his family and everyone who has helped him along his journey.
Elder views this award as motivation to continue working diligently, with hopes of repeating his success next year. “It actually is a lot; now I’m wanting to work even harder, if that makes sense, and I want to win it again next year, if I can,” he stated.
Looking ahead, Elder has set his sights on the upcoming 2024 Commonwealth Championships, scheduled to take place from September 17 to 24.