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Iuniarra Sipaia
Personal information
Born (1993-06-25) June 25, 1993 (age 31)
Motootua, Samoa
Sport
CountrySamoa
SportWeightlifting
Medal record
Representing  Samoa
Women's weightlifting
Pacific Games
Bronze medal – third place 2011 Nouméa +75 kg
Bronze medal – third place 2019 Apia +87 kg
Commonwealth Championships
Gold medal – first place 2016 Penang +75 kg
Silver medal – second place 2017 Gold Coast +90 kg
Bronze medal – third place 2012 Apia +75 kg
Bronze medal – third place 2019 Apia +87 kg
Oceania Championships
Gold medal – first place 2016 Suva +75 kg
Silver medal – second place 2017 Gold Coast +90 kg
Silver medal – second place 2018 Le Mont-Dore +90 kg
Silver medal – second place 2021 +87 kg
Bronze medal – third place 2011 Darwin +75 kg
Bronze medal – third place 2014 Le Mont-Dore +75 kg
Bronze medal – third place 2019 Apia +87 kg
Pacific Mini Games
Gold medal – first place 2013 Mata Utu +75 kg
Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games
Bronze medal – third place 2017 Ashgabat +90 kg
Arafura Games
Silver medal – second place 2019 Darwin +87 kg
Bronze medal – third place 2011 Darwin +75 kg

Iuniarra Sipaia (née Simanu, born 25 June 1993) is a Samoan female weightlifter.[1] She has represented Samoa in several international competitions such as Pacific Mini Games, Commonwealth Games, Oceania Weightlifting Championships and Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games.

As a junior, she participated at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics in the Girls' +63 event. She participated at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in the +75 kg event.[2] She won the bronze medal at the 2011 Pacific Games.[3]

Iuniarra won gold medal at the 2013 Pacific Mini Games in the over 75 kg category and set a new milestone in the sport of Weightlifting in Samoa. She was able to represent Samoa at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and competed in the women's over 75 kg category. She continued her dominance in the sport as she claimed 3 gold medals in the over 75 kg categories at the 2016 Oceania Weightlifting Championships.[4] She was also the part of the Samoan delegation which made its debut at the 2017 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games and claimed a bronze medal in the women's +90 kg event.

At the 2017 Australian Open Weightlifting Championships, she emerged as runners-up to a New Zealand transgender weightlifter, Laurel Hubbard. Laurel Hubbard lifted a weight of 268 kg, which was 19 kg more than that of Iuniarra Sipaia of Samoa and raised controversial issues relating to the approval of Laurel Hubbard to compete at the international competition.[5][6]

After the 2017 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games she was subsequently suspended for using Triamcinolone acetonide.[7] In April 2018 she cleared herself out and her ban was abolished. However, she missed the 2017 Pacific Mini Games, where she was a defending champion and couldn't compete at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.[8] She qualified for the 2020 Olympic games, but was unable to attend due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[9]

At the 2023 World Weightlifting Championships in September 2023 she qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.[10]

Major results[edit]

Year Venue Weight Snatch (kg) Clean & Jerk (kg) Total Rank
1 2 3 Result Rank 1 2 3 Result Rank
Representing  Samoa
World Championships
2019 Thailand Pattaya, Thailand[11] +87 kg 102 107 107 102 18 141 146 150 146 11 248 16
2018 Turkmenistan Ashgabat, Turkmenistan +87 kg 102 107 111 107 16 135 140 143 143 13 250 15
Pacific Games
2019 Samoa Apia, Samoa +87 kg 103 104 108 108 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 142 147 147 147 1st place, gold medalist(s) 255 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Arafura Games
2019 Australia Darwin, Australia +87 kg 102 102 107 107 2 140 144 146 146 1 253 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Oceania Championships
2019 Samoa Apia, Samoa +87 kg 103 104 108 108 3 142 147 147 147 1 255 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
2018 New Caledonia Mont-Dore, New Caledonia +90 kg 102 106 110 106 1 136 136 136 136 2 242 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
2017 Australia Gold Coast, Australia +90 kg 103 108 110 108 2 137 142 146 142 2 250 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
2016 Fiji Suva, Fiji +75 kg 100 104 107 107 1 130 134 139 139 1 246 1st place, gold medalist(s)
2014 New Caledonia Mont-Dore, New Caledonia +75 kg 98 102 106 102 3 127 133 133 127 3 229 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Commonwealth Championships
2019 Samoa Apia, Samoa +87 kg 103 104 108 108 3 142 147 147 147 1st place, gold medalist(s) 255 3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
2017 Australia Gold Coast, Australia +90 kg 103 108 110 108 2 137 142 146 142 2 250 2nd place, silver medalist(s)
2016 Malaysia Penang, Malaysia +75 kg 99 104 108 108 1 125 130 135 135 1 243 1st place, gold medalist(s)
2013 Malaysia Penang, Malaysia +75 kg — — — 100 5 — — — 126 6 226 5
Commonwealth Games
2014 Scotland Glasgow, Scotland +75 kg 98 102 105 102 4 126 131 136 131 4 233 5

References[edit]

  1. ^ "IWRP - Weightlifting Database". www.iwrp.net. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
  2. ^ "Weightlifting at the 2010 Commonwealth Games - Iuniarra Simanu". iwf.net. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
  3. ^ "2011 Pacific Games - Iuniarra Simanu". iwf.net. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  4. ^ "Results by Events - International Weightlifting Federation". International Weightlifting Federation. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
  5. ^ "Woman lifter beaten by transgender speaks up". Samoa Observer. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
  6. ^ "Transgender weightlifter under fire from competitors after qualifying for Commonwealth Games". Women in the World in Association with The New York Times - WITW. 2017-03-22. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
  7. ^ "PUBLIC DISCLOSURE". www.iwf.net. Retrieved 2018-11-15.
  8. ^ "Samoan weightlifter cleared, ban overturned". www.radionz.co.nz. Retrieved 2018-11-15.
  9. ^ Lanuola Tupufia (15 July 2024). "'Our whole country is behind them': Samoa's weightlifters chasing Olympic glory". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
  10. ^ Talaia Mika (17 September 2023). "Don and Iuniarra qualify for Olympic Games". Samoa Observer. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  11. ^ "2019 World Weightlifting Championship Results" (PDF). IWF. Retrieved 5 October 2019.

External links[edit]

source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iuniarra_Sipaia