JAPAN NEXT FOR CIKAMATANA

Eileen Cikamatana competed at the French National Weightlifting Championship last Saturday in Mont De Marsan in the +75kg category. She lifted 104kg in the snatch and 121kg in the clean & jerk to get a total of 225kg. She narrowly missed two crucial lifts at 130kg and 133kg in the clean & jerk. That

would have taken her closer to the 238kg lift she did in Melbourne at the Australian Championship earlier this year. Cikamatana’s trip to France is part of her preparation for the International Weightlifting Federation’s World Junior Championship in Japan from June 15– 23. She competes on June 22. She now goes into intensive training as part of her final preparation phase for the

junior championship.

This is Cikamatana’s first year of competing in the World Junior Championship, having won a gold medal at the World Youth Championship in Malaysia. She is the current holder of the Commonwealth Junior and Commonwealth Senior records in the newly established 90kg category. Her fellow lifter, Taniela Rainibogi will be competing on Tuesday, June 20, in the 85kg category. Coach Joe Vueti is pleased with Rainibogi’s training so far and will be training in Suva for two days before leaving for Japan on June 16. Weightlifting Fiji is thankful to Government, Fiji National Sports Commission, Oceania Weightlifting Institute, French Weightlifting Federation and the French Sports Ministry.