16-year-old weightlifting sensation Nehemiah Elder says he was confident of winning gold at the 2025 IWF World Youth Championships in Lima, Peru, in the Men’s 89kg Youth Division, as everyone was expecting him to do so.
Elder achieved a milestone after becoming the first-ever Fijian Weightlifter to win gold at any World Championship event.
While speaking to fijivillage News, Elder expressed his thanks to the Lord for giving him strength and also the support from families and friends during his preparation for the championship.
He says his love for weightlifting started at the age of 6, and his passion grew from there.
He shares that he started training in the gym when he was 3 years old and took it very seriously when he was 9.
He adds that his motivation was so strong from his brothers and father to be part of the championship, and he is so grateful to them.
The 16-year-old says he would train three times a week while preparing for the Championship in Peru.
Weightlifting President and proud father Henry Elder says the preparation for Nehemiah’s winning championship started two years ago.
He adds that Nehemiah had envisioned this achievement.
Henry says the preparation included a few competitions that he had put Nehemiah through, such as the Oceania Under 23 Championship in Samoa, the Commonwealth Championship hosted India in 2023, the Oceania Championship in Auckland, the Commonwealth Championship hosted in Suva, and the Oceania Elite International invitation tournament in Auckland last year, with a few other competitions at the beginning of this year.
