Nehemiah Elder won double gold medals and 4 record breaking lifts in the 88kg Youth and Junior category at the 2025 Under 20 Oceania Weightlifting Championships in Melbourne.
Elder broke the snatch, clean and jerk and totals in both the youth and junior categories of the Oceania Weightlifting Federation.
With each successful snatch and clean and jerk, he not only outclassed the competition but rewrote the record books in both the Youth and Junior divisions, setting new marks in the individual lifts and total.
Elder says he is grateful for everyone who has supported him on this journey, especially his family, coaches, fellow team mates and sponsors like CIS insurance and his cuz Kuki Nalawa and Yadra Fiji, but most of all the Lord Jesus Christ who is his everything.
Weightlifting Fiji President Della Shaw says this moment is the result of years of hard work and discipline.
Shaw says breaking records was not something Nehemiah thinks of—he just wants to lift well and represent Fiji with pride and lets God do the rest.
She says Nehemiah has been in weightlifting from the tender age of 5 learning the basic fundamentals, doing basic strengthening exercises and having the opportunity to train alongside top lifters for many years.
His outstanding performance earned praise from Paul Coffa the general secretary of the Oceania and Commonwealth Weightlifting Federations, who described it as “a commanding and phenomenal display of raw strength & brute power & what a dedicated young athlete can achieve.
National Coach Henry Elder says Nehemiah did not just compete—he made us so proud and made history in the process.
His success in Melbourne is a testament to the strength of Fiji’s youth weightlifting development program and the commitment of everyone involved in the sport and also in his personal development.
With a promising future ahead, Nehemiah has become a beacon of inspiration for aspiring athletes back home—proof that with hard work and heart, anything is possible.
