By James Sablan
james@mvariety.com
Variety News Staff
THE CNMI weightlifting team made a thunderous statement on Saturday, securing a haul of medals — including three golds and a bronze — during the 2025 Guam Weightlifting Federation Open Invitational Championships held in Guam.
The elite four-man squad of Raymond “Ray” Santos, Leowell Cristobal, Leonard “Leo” Apello, and David Barnhouse faced off against a field of 27 top athletes from Guam and Palau, proving once again that the CNMI remains a dominant force in the sport of strength.
Highlighting CNMI’s lighter weight classes were Santos and Cristobal, blending technical precision with raw power.
In the Men’s 60kg division, Santos set the tone for the team, executing a 90kg (198.45 lbs) Snatch before returning to the platform to hammer home a 110kg (242.55 lbs) Clean and Jerk. His total of 200kg (441 lbs) was more than enough to secure the gold medal, marking him as the man to beat in his class.
“For my overall performance, I did the best I could,” Santos said in an interview with Variety. During the week of the competition, he injured his knee. “It happens. I didn’t give up and still went to compete,” he added.
Santos also shared that he missed his fellow teammates in Guam and wanted to bring good vibes to the competition. “And, of course, do a little Christmas shopping for the family.”
His advice to upcoming athletes is to stay disciplined: “Motivation gets you started, and discipline keeps you going.”
“I would like to thank God and my family for their continual support in this sport I choose to pursue. I would also like to thank Trench Tech; doing jiujitsu helped with my mobility, cardio, and maintaining my weight,” he added.
Perhaps the most decorated performance of the night came from Cristobal.
Competing at a bodyweight of 67.55kg, Cristobal entered the 71kg Open and Military categories, essentially sweeping every podium available to him. With a 102kg (224.91 lbs) Snatch and a 145kg (319.73 lbs) Clean and Jerk, he posted a 247kg (544.64 lbs) total, earning two gold medals (71kg Open Weight and Military categories) and the Best Overall Lifter (Sinclair Award).
As the plates stacked higher, the CNMI veterans continued to deliver under pressure.
In the +110kg “Supers” category, David Barnhouse asserted his dominance, locking in a 100kg (220.5 lbs) Snatch and 140kg (308.7 lbs) Clean and Jerk. With a total of 240kg (529.2 lbs), Barnhouse walked away with the gold medal.
Apello finished strong with two medals in the 88kg weight category. He successfully snatched 116kg (255.78 lbs) and Clean and Jerked 140kg (308.7 lbs) for a 246kg (542.43 lbs) total, earning a bronze medal in the Open division and a silver medal in the Master’s Division.
A growing regional power
This marks the third consecutive year that Micronesian sports entities have convened, and the rising caliber of competition has not gone unnoticed. Observers from the Oceania Weightlifting Federation attended this year’s event, and, for the first time, delegates and behind-the-scenes staff from the Republic of the Marshall Islands were in attendance.
CNMI Weightlifting is not done yet. The federation has officially announced that it will host an Open Weightlifting Competition at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium on Feb. 21, 2026.
The organization is actively recruiting new talent to represent the CNMI on the international stage. Age and previous sports experience are not factors — they are looking for anyone with the drive to represent the islands.
For more information, email cnmiweightlifting@gmail.com
James Sablan has been a sports reporter for Variety since 2013. He was a liberal arts student of Northern Marianas College and covers all local sports.
