Don Opeloge

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| name = Don Opeloge

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Don Opeloge (born 13 May 1999){{Cite web|title=2019 Junior World Weightlifting Championships|url=https://www.iwf.net/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2019/06/Results_book.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200526190705/https://www.iwf.net/wp-content/uploads/downloads/2019/06/Results_book.pdf|archive-date=26 May 2020|access-date=4 June 2020|website=International Weightlifting Federation}} is a Samoan weightlifter. He won the gold medal in the men's 96{{nbsp}}kg event at the 2022 Commonwealth Games held in Birmingham, England.{{cite web |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/472123/samoan-opeloge-snatches-games-gold-with-monster-lifts |title=Samoan Opeloge snatches Games gold with monster lifts |publisher=RNZ |date=3 August 2022 |access-date=3 August 2022}}{{Cite news |last=Houston |first=Michael |date=2 August 2022 |title=Opeloge family claim another weightlifting title as Don strikes gold at Birmingham 2022 |work=InsideTheGames.biz |url=https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1126510/birmingham-2022-weightlifting |access-date=2 August 2022}}

Career

Opeloge comes from a weightlifting family.{{cite web |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/programmes/champions-of-the-pacific/audio/2018817082/meet-the-opeloges-samoa-s-first-family-of-weightlifting |title=Meet the Opeloges: Samoa's first family of weightlifting |publisher=RNZ |date=20 October 2021 |access-date=27 October 2021}} His uncle Niusila and his aunty Ele both won gold at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, in New Delhi.

At the 2017 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games held in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, he finished in 9th place in the men's 85{{nbsp}}kg event.{{Cite web|title=Weightlifting Results Book|url=http://www.ocagames.com/orb/files/3/54/AIMAG_WL_resultsBook.pdf|website=2017 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200530101026/http://www.ocagames.com/orb/files/3/54/AIMAG_WL_resultsBook.pdf|archive-date=30 May 2020|access-date=30 May 2020}} He won the silver medal in the men's 85{{nbsp}}kg event at the 2018 Commonwealth Games held in Gold Coast, Australia.{{Cite news|date=6 June 2019|title=Sport: Samoan weightlifter wins junior world title|work=Radio New Zealand|url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/391348/sport-samoan-weightlifter-wins-junior-world-title|access-date=4 June 2020}}

In 2019, Opeloge won the gold medal in the men's 89{{nbsp}}kg event at the Junior World Weightlifting Championships held in Suva, Fiji.{{Cite news|last=Pavitt|first=Michael|date=12 July 2019|title=World junior champion delights home crowd with triple Samoa 2019 weightlifting gold|work=InsideTheGames.biz|url=https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1081975/don-opeloge-pacific-games-gold-samoa|access-date=4 June 2020}} A month later, he represented Samoa at the 2019 Pacific Games and he won the gold medal in the men's 89{{nbsp}}kg event. 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.{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jul/16/our-whole-country-is-behind-them-samoas-weightlifters-chasing-olympic-glory |title='Our whole country is behind them': Samoa's weightlifters chasing Olympic glory |work=The Guardian |author=Lanuola Tupufia |date=15 July 2024 |access-date=16 July 2024}}

In December 2022, he was named by the Samoa Observer as one of its people of the year.{{cite web |url=https://www.samoaobserver.ws/category/samoa/101315 |title=People of the Year: Reaching for the top in weightlifting |publisher=Samoa Observer |author=Talaia Mika |date=31 December 2022 |access-date=31 December 2022}}

At the 2023 World Weightlifting Championships in September 2023, he set a new commonwealth record and qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.{{cite web |url=https://www.samoaobserver.ws/category/samoa/105705 |title=Don and Iuniarra qualify for Olympic Games |publisher=Samoa Observer |author=Talaia Mika |date=17 September 2023 |access-date=18 September 2023}}

In August 2024, Opeloge competed in the men's 102{{nbsp}}kg event at the 2024 Summer Olympics held in Paris, France.{{Cite web |title=Weightlifting Results Book |url=https://olympics.com/OG2024/pdf/OG2024/WLF/OG2024_WLF_B99_WLF-------------------------------.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240811193408/https://olympics.com/OG2024/pdf/OG2024/WLF/OG2024_WLF_B99_WLF-------------------------------.pdf |archive-date=11 August 2024 |access-date=12 August 2024 |website=2024 Summer Olympics}} He failed three attempts to lift 170{{nbsp}}kg in the Snatch and he did not compete in the Clean & Jerk.

Major results

width=65 \| 1 ! width=65 \| 2 ! width=65 \| 3 ! width=45 \| Rank ! width=65 \| 1 ! width=65 \| 2 ! width=65 \| 3 ! width=45 \| Rank
class = "wikitable" style="text-align:center;" ! rowspan=2 width=40 \| Year ! rowspan=2 width=250 \| Venue ! rowspan=2 width=60 \| Weight ! colspan=4 \| Snatch (kg) ! colspan=4 \| Clean & Jerk (kg) ! rowspan=2 width=65 \| Total ! rowspan=2 width=40 \| Rank
colspan=13 \| Summer Olympics
2024	align=left \| Paris, France	102 kg	~~170~~	~~170~~	~~170~~	{{n/a}}	—	—	—	{{n/a}}	{{abbr\|DNF\|Did not finish}}	—
colspan=13 \| World Championships
2018	align=left\| Ashgabat, Turkmenistan	89 kg	142	~~147~~	~~147~~	24	180	185	~~190~~	19	327	22
2019	align=left\| Pattaya, Thailand	96 kg	151	~~156~~	~~156~~	31	190	200	~~205~~	13	351	21
2023	align=left\| Riyadh, Saudi Arabia	102 kg	166	171	~~175~~	12	208	215	~~220~~	6	386	8
colspan=13\|IWF World Cup
2019	align=left\| Tianjin, China	96 kg	~~155~~	~~155~~	155	6	195	~~202~~	202	4	357	6
2024	align=left\| Phuket, Thailand	102 kg	~~170~~	~~170~~	170	15	~~215~~	215	221	{{silver2}}	391	6
colspan=13\|Oceania Championships
2017	align=left\| Gold Coast, Australia	85 kg	140	146	~~150~~	{{Gold1}}	173	~~180~~	186	{{Gold1}}	332	{{Gold1}}
2018	align=left\| Mont-Dore, New Caledonia	85 kg	137	~~145~~	145	{{Gold1}}	180	~~185~~	~~185~~	{{Gold1}}	325	{{Gold1}}
2019	align=left\| Apia, Samoa	89 kg	145	~~151~~	~~157~~	{{Gold1}}	~~185~~	185	193	{{Gold1}}	338	{{Gold1}}
2021	align=left\| Various, Oceania	96 kg	~~159~~	159	~~165~~	{{Gold1}}	200	~~211~~	~~211~~	{{Gold1}}	359	{{Gold1}}
2024	align=left\| Auckland, New Zealand	102 kg	170	175	~~180~~	{{Gold1}}	210	215	~~220~~	{{Gold1}}	390	{{Gold1}}
colspan=13\|Pacific Games
2019	align=left\| Apia, Samoa	89 kg	145	~~151~~	~~157~~	{{Gold1}}	~~185~~	185	193	{{Gold1}}	338	{{Gold1}}
2023	align=left\| Honiara, Solomon Islands	102 kg	165	~~173~~	~~173~~	{{Gold1}}	205	214	~~220~~	{{Gold1}}	379	{{Gold1}}