By Robert Balajadia
Six of Guam’s athletes will be carrying more than just the weight of Guam on their shoulders as they travel to Samoa to represent the island in weightlifting. Five females and one male get ready to add the Pacific Games under their competitive belt, a first for all six.
The team has been ramping it up during final week of preparation. Each of the lifters have all been hitting their normal percentages and are all expecting to push for their own personal bests come competition time.
The lifters will be participating in two events: the snatch lift and clean and jerk, where each competitor will get three lifts.
The Oceania Championships for Weightlifting will also being going on at the same time which puts some added pressure on the team to perform their best, especially for Guam’s only Male in David Bautista.
“Overall, the experience is important, but I get the chance to see where I stand overall. I’ve been pushing really hard, but I’m going to get to see how the rest of the Pacific lifts as well so I’m a little bit of both: excited and nervous,” said Bautista.
And if anything, Bautista is just hoping to set an example for the up-and-coming lifters on Guam.
“I really hope that this influences the youth so that the sport and competition gets bigger here on Guam. I want them to take it further. Maybe by that time I’ll be coaching or even lifting in some masters events,” said David.
The chemistry has been a real positive for the team with the small group getting some extra bonding time even outside of training.
Jacinta Sumagaysay took a set for a video interview to talk about their training thus far, what to expect in the games and how the team has come together:
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