THE NMI ended the last day of weightlifting in the 2022 Pacific Mini Games with a bang as David Barnhouse, Jason Limes and Joey Colisao hauled in medals in their respective weight classes Thursday, June 23, at the Marianas High School gym.
Barnhouse bagged three gold medals in the men’s 109kg weight class.
Barnhouse had only one competitor, Timothy Vakuruivalu of Fiji, but the two gave it their all.
Vakuruivalu started the snatch with a successful lift, 110kg, while Barnhouse followed with a 111kg to grasp the lead.
Vakuruivalu regained the upper hand with a lift of 115 in his second attempt while Barnhouse failed to equalize, dropping his second attempt at 115kg.
Vakuruivalu, in turn, could not deliver in his final attempt of 117kg, which gave Barnhouse an opportunity to catch up.
And he did.
Barnhouse only needed to add one kilogram in his third and final attempt, 116kg, which he successfully controlled to secure the gold medal while Vakuruivalu settled for silver.
In the clean & jerk portion, Barnhouse lifted 130kg in his first attempt while Vakuruivalu succeeded in lifting 132kg to take the lead.
After Barnhouse failed to lift 135kg, Vakuruivalu aimed for victory with 137kg, but he could not execute in his third and final attempt.
Barnhouse then powered through with a successful 136kg lift, regaining the lead and winning his second gold medal.
With a combined total weight of 252kg, Barnhouse earned his third consecutive gold medal along with a gold and silver in the Oceania Weightlifting Championships which coincided with the 2022 Pacific Mini Games event.
More gold medals for the NMI
In the men’s +109kg weight class, the NMI’s Jason Limes and Joey Colisao each earned gold in separate portions of the event.
Colisao shined in the first half as he recorded three consecutive lifts — 105kg to 111kg and 118kg — to secure a gold medal. In second place was Eriatara Ratia from Tahiti with his best lift of 115kg while Limes settled for the bronze with a 110kg snatch.
But in the clean & jerk segment, Limes set the tone by lifting 140kg before moving forward with 146kg in his second attempt and 150kg in his final lift to earn gold.
Colisao lifted 130kg, 136kg and 141kg to bag a silver medal.
Ratia nearly stole the show with what seemed to be a successful third lift of 150kg. However, the judges ruled it a “no-lift,” and Ratia had to settle for a bronze medal.
Limes’s second half performance earned him another gold medal as he led in total weight with 260kg followed by Colisao with 259kg and Ratia with 255kg.
“I’m just more than happy that it’s over — I’ve been stressing for over a year,” Limes said.
For Colisao, earning a gold medal in his first international competition was a great accomplishment. “I feel pretty good about it. I treated this as another day of training,” he added. “I’m also dedicating this mainly to my family and friends — my mom especially. She’s been putting up with me ever since I came back to Saipan.”
The NMI’s David Barnhouse successfully lifts 136kg in the clean & jerk portion at the MHS gym Thursday.
The NMI’s Jason Limes, center, and Joey Colisao, left, join Timothy Vakuruivalu of Fiji at the podium during the medal ceremony for the +109kg weight class at the MHS gym.
