Iuniarra Sipaia

Iuniarra Sipaia
Personal information
NicknameJune
Born (1993-06-25) 25 June 1993
Motootua, Samoa
Sport
Country Samoa
SportWeightlifting
Coached byJeremiah Wallwork
Medal record
Women's weightlifting
Representing  Samoa
Pacific Games
Gold medal – first place2023 Honiara+87 kg
Bronze medal – third place2011 Nouméa+75 kg
Bronze medal – third place2019 Apia+87 kg
Commonwealth Championships
Gold medal – first place2016 Penang+75 kg
Silver medal – second place2017 Gold Coast+90 kg
Bronze medal – third place2012 Apia+75 kg
Bronze medal – third place2019 Apia+87 kg
Oceania Championships
Gold medal – first place2016 Suva+75 kg
Gold medal – first place2022 Saipan+87 kg
Gold medal – first place2023 Honiara+87 kg
Gold medal – first place2024 Auckland+87 kg
Gold medal – first place2025 Meyuns+86 kg
Gold medal – first place2026 Apia+86 kg
Silver medal – second place2017 Gold Coast+90 kg
Silver medal – second place2018 Le Mont-Dore+90 kg
Silver medal – second place2021+87 kg
Bronze medal – third place2011 Darwin+75 kg
Bronze medal – third place2014 Le Mont-Dore+75 kg
Bronze medal – third place2019 Apia+87 kg
Pacific Mini Games
Gold medal – first place2013 Mata Utu+75 kg
Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games
Bronze medal – third place2017 Ashgabat+90 kg
Arafura Games
Silver medal – second place2019 Darwin+87 kg
Bronze medal – third place2011 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.

Career

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 competed in the women's +75 kg category at the 2014 Commonwealth Games. She continued her dominance in the sport at the 2016 Oceania Weightlifting Championships, winning 3 gold medals in the over 75 kg categories.[4] She was also 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 New Zealand transgender weightlifter, Laurel Hubbard. Hubbard lifted a weight of 268 kg, which was 19 kg more than Sipaia's lift and raised controversial issues relating to the approval of Hubbard to compete at the international level.[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, France.[10] In 2024, she finished in 11th place in the women's +81 kg event at the 2024 Summer Olympics.[11]

Major results

Year Venue Weight Snatch (kg) Clean & Jerk (kg) Total Rank
123Rank123Rank
Summer Olympics
2024Paris, France+81 kg100105110N/a141141148N/a24611
World Championships
2018Ashgabat, Turkmenistan+87 kg102107111161351401431325015
2019Pattaya, Thailand+87 kg102107107181411461501124816
2023Riyadh, Saudi Arabia+87 kg1051051101014514615072568
IWF World Cup
2024Phuket, Thailand+87 kg10511011210150155 16062677
Pacific Games
2011Nouméa, New Caledonia+75 kg873rd place, bronze medalist(s)1123rd place, bronze medalist(s)1993rd place, bronze medalist(s)
2019Apia, Samoa+87 kg1031041083rd place, bronze medalist(s)1421471471st place, gold medalist(s)2553rd place, bronze medalist(s)
2023Honiara, Solomon Islands+87 kg1021071122nd place, silver medalist(s)1451531581st place, gold medalist(s)2521st place, gold medalist(s)
Oceania Championships
2010Suva, Fiji+75 kg75808349610110541884
2011Darwin, Australia+75 kg883rd place, bronze medalist(s)1153rd place, bronze medalist(s)2033rd place, bronze medalist(s)
2012Apia, Samoa+75 kg92969941151211253rd place, bronze medalist(s)2214
2014Mont-Dore, New Caledonia+75 kg981021063rd place, bronze medalist(s)1271331333rd place, bronze medalist(s)2293rd place, bronze medalist(s)
2016Suva, Fiji+75 kg1001041071st place, gold medalist(s)1301341391st place, gold medalist(s)2461st place, gold medalist(s)
2017Gold Coast, Australia+90 kg1031081102nd place, silver medalist(s)1371421462nd place, silver medalist(s)2502nd place, silver medalist(s)
2018Mont-Dore, New Caledonia+90 kg1021061101st place, gold medalist(s)1361361362nd place, silver medalist(s)2422nd place, silver medalist(s)
2019Apia, Samoa+87 kg1031041083rd place, bronze medalist(s)1421471471st place, gold medalist(s)2553rd place, bronze medalist(s)
2021Various, Oceania+87 kg1021021072nd place, silver medalist(s)1411411462nd place, silver medalist(s)2482nd place, silver medalist(s)
2022Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands+87 kg1021041122nd place, silver medalist(s)1471531571st place, gold medalist(s)2611st place, gold medalist(s)
2024Auckland, New Zealand+87 kg1011061102nd place, silver medalist(s)1451551551st place, gold medalist(s)2651st place, gold medalist(s)
Arafura Games
2019Darwin, Australia+87 kg102102107214014414612532nd place, silver medalist(s)
Commonwealth Games
2010Delhi, India+75 kg828690N/a105110112N/a1967
2014Glasgow, Scotland+75 kg98102105N/a126131136N/a2335
Commonwealth Championships
2013Penang, Malaysia+75 kg100512662265
2016Penang, Malaysia+75 kg991041081st place, gold medalist(s)1251301351st place, gold medalist(s)2431st place, gold medalist(s)
2017Gold Coast, Australia+90 kg1031081102nd place, silver medalist(s)1371421462nd place, silver medalist(s)2502nd place, silver medalist(s)
2019Apia, Samoa+87 kg1031041083rd place, bronze medalist(s)1421471471st place, gold medalist(s)2553rd place, bronze medalist(s)

References

  1. ↑ "IWRP - Weightlifting Database". iwrp.net. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  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 5 December 2017.
  5. ↑ "Woman lifter beaten by transgender speaks up". Samoa Observer. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  6. ↑ "Transgender weightlifter under fire from competitors after qualifying for Commonwealth Games". Women in the World in Association with The New York Times - WITW. 22 March 2017. Retrieved 5 December 2017.
  7. ↑ "PUBLIC DISCLOSURE". iwf.net. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  8. ↑ "Samoan weightlifter cleared, ban overturned". radionz.co.nz. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  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. ↑ "Weightlifting Results Book" (PDF). 2024 Summer Olympics. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 August 2024. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
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