Don Opeloge
Samoan weightlifter (born 1999)
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Don Opeloge (born 13 May 1999)[1] is a Samoan weightlifter. He won the gold medal in the men's 96 kg event at the 2022 Commonwealth Games held in Birmingham, England.[2][3]
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 13 May 1999 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | Samoa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Weightlifting | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Career
Opeloge comes from a weightlifting family.[4] His uncle Niusila and his aunty Ele both won gold at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, in New Delhi.[4]
At the 2017 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games held in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, he finished in 9th place in the men's 85 kg event.[5] He won the silver medal in the men's 85 kg event at the 2018 Commonwealth Games held in Gold Coast, Australia.[6]
In 2019, Opeloge won the gold medal in the men's 89 kg event at the Junior World Weightlifting Championships held in Suva, Fiji.[1][6][7] A month later, he represented Samoa at the 2019 Pacific Games and he won the gold medal in the men's 89 kg event.[7] The 2019 Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships were also held at the same time and his total result also gave him the gold medal in this event. He qualified for the 2020 Olympic games, but was unable to attend due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[8]
In December 2022, he was named by the Samoa Observer as one of its people of the year.[9]
At the 2023 World Weightlifting Championships in September 2023, he set a new commonwealth record and qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.[10]
In August 2024, Opeloge competed in the men's 102 kg event at the 2024 Summer Olympics held in Paris, France.[11] He failed three attempts to lift 170 kg in the Snatch and he did not compete in the Clean & Jerk.[11]
Major results
| Year | Venue | Weight | Snatch (kg) | Clean & Jerk (kg) | Total | Rank | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | Rank | 1 | 2 | 3 | Rank | |||||
| Summer Olympics | ||||||||||||
| 2024 | Paris, France | 102 kg | N/a | — | — | — | N/a | DNF | — | |||
| World Championships | ||||||||||||
| 2018 | Ashgabat, Turkmenistan | 89 kg | 142 | 24 | 180 | 185 | 19 | 327 | 22 | |||
| 2019 | Pattaya, Thailand | 96 kg | 151 | 31 | 190 | 200 | 13 | 351 | 21 | |||
| 2023 | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | 102 kg | 166 | 171 | 12 | 208 | 215 | 6 | 386 | 8 | ||
| IWF World Cup | ||||||||||||
| 2019 | Tianjin, China | 96 kg | 155 | 6 | 195 | 202 | 4 | 357 | 6 | |||
| 2024 | Phuket, Thailand | 102 kg | 170 | 15 | 215 | 221 |  | 391 | 6 | |||
| Oceania Championships | ||||||||||||
| 2017 | Gold Coast, Australia | 85 kg | 140 | 146 |  | 173 | 186 | | 332 | | ||
| 2018 | Mont-Dore, New Caledonia | 85 kg | 137 | 145 | | 180 | | 325 | | |||
| 2019 | Apia, Samoa | 89 kg | 145 | | 185 | 193 | | 338 | | |||
| 2021 | Various, Oceania | 96 kg | 159 | | 200 | | 359 | | ||||
| 2024 | Auckland, New Zealand | 102 kg | 170 | 175 | | 210 | 215 | | 390 | | ||
| Pacific Games | ||||||||||||
| 2019 | Apia, Samoa | 89 kg | 145 | | 185 | 193 | | 338 | | |||
| 2023 | Honiara, Solomon Islands | 102 kg | 165 | | 205 | 214 | | 379 | | |||
