Login
Login

Iuniarra Sipaia

{{Short description|Samoan weightlifter (born 1993)}}

{{Infobox sportsperson

| name = Iuniarra Sipaia

| nickname = June

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1993|06|25}}

| birth_place = Motootua, Samoa

| country = Samoa

| sport = Weightlifting

| show-medals = no

| coach = Jeremiah Wallwork

| medaltemplates = {{MedalCountry|{{SAM}}}}

{{MedalSport|Women's weightlifting}}

{{MedalComp|Pacific Games}}

{{MedalGold|2023 Honiara|+87 kg}}

{{MedalBronze|2011 Nouméa|+75 kg}}

{{MedalBronze|2019 Apia|+87 kg}}

{{MedalComp|Commonwealth Championships}}

{{MedalGold|2016 Penang|+75 kg}}

{{MedalSilver|2017 Gold Coast|+90 kg}}

{{MedalBronze|2012 Apia|+75 kg}}

{{MedalBronze|2019 Apia|+87 kg}}

{{MedalComp|Oceania Championships}}

{{MedalGold|2016 Suva|+75 kg}}

{{MedalGold|2022 Saipan|+87 kg}}

{{MedalGold|2023 Honiara|+87 kg}}

{{MedalGold|2024 Auckland|+87 kg}}

{{MedalSilver|2017 Gold Coast|+90 kg}}

{{MedalSilver|2018 Le Mont-Dore|+90 kg}}

{{MedalSilver|2021|+87 kg}}

{{MedalBronze|2011 Darwin|+75 kg}}

{{MedalBronze|2014 Le Mont-Dore|+75 kg}}

{{MedalBronze|2019 Apia|+87 kg}}

{{MedalComp|Pacific Mini Games}}

{{MedalGold|2013 Mata Utu|+75 kg}}

{{MedalComp|Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games}}

{{MedalBronze|2017 Ashgabat|+90 kg}}

{{MedalComp|Arafura Games}}

{{MedalSilver|2019 Darwin|+87 kg}}

{{MedalBronze|2011 Darwin|+75 kg}}

}}

Iuniarra Sipaia (née Simanu, born 25 June 1993) is a Samoan female weightlifter.{{Cite web|url=http://www.iwrp.net/component/cwyniki/?view=contestant&id_zawodnik=28392|title=IWRP - Weightlifting Database|website=www.iwrp.net|language=en-gb|access-date=2017-12-05}} 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.{{cite web|title=Weightlifting at the 2010 Commonwealth Games - Iuniarra Simanu|url=http://www.iwf.net/results/results-by-events/?event=117|publisher=iwf.net|accessdate=23 June 2016}} She won the bronze medal at the 2011 Pacific Games.{{cite web|title=2011 Pacific Games - Iuniarra Simanu|url=http://www.iwf.net/results/results-by-events/?event=171|publisher=iwf.net|accessdate=10 November 2016}}

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.{{Cite news|url=http://www.iwf.net/results/results-by-events/?event=356|title=Results by Events - International Weightlifting Federation|work=International Weightlifting Federation|access-date=2017-12-05|language=en-US}} 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.{{Cite news|url=http://www.samoaobserver.ws/en/23_03_2017/local/18224/Woman-lifter-beaten-by-transgender-speaks-up.htm|title=Woman lifter beaten by transgender speaks up|work=Samoa Observer|access-date=2017-12-05}}{{Cite news|url=http://nytlive.nytimes.com/womenintheworld/2017/03/22/transgender-weightlifter-under-fire-from-competitors-after-qualifying-for-commonwealth-games/|title=Transgender weightlifter under fire from competitors after qualifying for Commonwealth Games|date=2017-03-22|work=Women in the World in Association with The New York Times - WITW|access-date=2017-12-05|language=en-US}}

After the 2017 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games she was subsequently suspended for using Triamcinolone acetonide.{{Cite news|url=https://www.iwf.net/2017/11/07/public-disclosure-89/|title=PUBLIC DISCLOSURE|work=www.iwf.net|access-date=2018-11-15}} 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.{{Cite news|url=https://www.radionz.co.nz/news/cwg18/354178/sport-samoan-weightlifter-cleared-ban-overturned/|title=Samoan weightlifter cleared, ban overturned|work=www.radionz.co.nz|access-date=2018-11-15}} She 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}}

At the 2023 World Weightlifting Championships in September 2023 she qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France.{{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 2024, she finished in 11th place in the women's +81{{nbsp}}kg event at the 2024 Summer Olympics.{{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}}

Major results

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=40| Total

!rowspan=2 width=40| Rank

width=40|1width=40|2width=40|3width=40|Rankwidth=40|1width=40|2width=40|3width=40|Rank
colspan=13 | Summer Olympics
2024align=left| Paris, France+81 kg100105110{{n/a}}141141148{{n/a}}24611
colspan=13|World Championships
2018align="left" |Ashgabat, Turkmenistan+87 kg102107111161351401431325015
2019align="left" |Pattaya, Thailand+87 kg102107107181411461501124816
2023align=left | Riyadh, Saudi Arabia+87 kg1051051101014514615072568
colspan=13|IWF World Cup
2024align=left| Phuket, Thailand+87 kg10511011210150155 16062677
colspan=13|Pacific Games
2011align=left| Nouméa, New Caledonia+75 kgcolspan=3|87{{Bronze3}}colspan=3|112{{Bronze3}}199{{Bronze3}}
2019align=left| Apia, Samoa+87 kg103104108{{Bronze3}}142147147{{Gold1}}255{{Bronze3}}
2023align=left| Honiara, Solomon Islands+87 kg102107112{{Silver2}}145153158{{Gold1}}252{{Gold1}}
colspan=13 |Oceania Championships
2010align="left" | Suva, Fiji+75 kg75808349610110541884
2011align="left" | Darwin, Australia+75 kgcolspan=3|88{{Bronze3}}colspan=3|115{{Bronze3}}203{{Bronze3}}
2012align="left" | Apia, Samoa+75 kg9296994115121125{{Bronze3}}2214
2014align="left" | Mont-Dore, New Caledonia+75 kg98102106{{Bronze3}}127133133{{Bronze3}}229{{Bronze3}}
2016align="left" | Suva, Fiji+75 kg100104107{{Gold1}}130134139{{Gold1}}246{{Gold1}}
2017align="left" | Gold Coast, Australia+90 kg103108110{{Silver2}}137142146{{Silver2}}250{{Silver2}}
2018align="left" | Mont-Dore, New Caledonia+90 kg102106110{{Gold1}}136136136{{Silver2}}242{{Silver2}}
2019align="left" | Apia, Samoa+87 kg103104108{{Bronze3}}142147147{{Gold1}}255{{Bronze3}}
2021align=left| Various, Oceania+87 kg102102107{{Silver2}}141141146{{Silver2}}248{{Silver2}}
2022align=left| Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands+87 kg102104112{{Silver2}}147153157{{Gold1}}261{{Gold1}}
2024align=left| Auckland, New Zealand+87 kg101106110{{Silver2}}145155155{{Gold1}}265{{Gold1}}
colspan=13|Arafura Games
2019align=left| Darwin, Australia+87 kg10210210721401441461253{{Silver2}}
colspan=13|Commonwealth Games
2010align=left| Delhi, India+75 kg828690{{n/a}}105110112{{n/a}}1967
2014align=left| Glasgow, Scotland+75 kg98102105{{n/a}}126131136{{n/a}}2335
colspan=13 |Commonwealth Championships
2013align="left" | Penang, Malaysia+75 kgcolspan=3|1005colspan=3|12662265
2016align="left" | Penang, Malaysia+75 kg99104108{{Gold1}}125130135{{Gold1}}243{{Gold1}}
2017align="left" | Gold Coast, Australia+90 kg103108110{{Silver2}}137142146{{Silver2}}250{{Silver2}}
2019align="left" | Apia, Samoa+87 kg103104108{{Bronze3}}142147147{{Gold1}}255{{Bronze3}}

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

  • {{Sports links|maxlink=10}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sipaia, Iuniarra}}

Category:1993 births

Category:Living people

Category:Samoan female weightlifters

Category:Weightlifters at the 2014 Commonwealth Games

Category:Commonwealth Games competitors for Samoa

Category:Weightlifters at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics

Category:21st-century Samoan people

Category:Pacific Games bronze medalists for Samoa

Category:Pacific Games medalists in weightlifting

Category:Weightlifters at the 2024 Summer Olympics

Category:Olympic weightlifters for Samoa