For 14-year-old Mereia Turaganivalu going into weightlifting was a no-brainer as she comes from a family that is synonymous with the sport in Fiji.
Turaganivalu says she grew up watching her mother Asenaca, who is the twin sister of Weightlifting Fiji President, Della Shaw competing in the sport and knew she wanted to do the same when she got older.
She says she grew up playing other sports like rugby and swimming but weightlifting was always calling out to her.
The Gospel High School student says the sport has taught her to be more disciplined and have better time management as she balances her school and training schedule.
She thanked the Lord for giving her all the talent, strength and ability to be able to compete in weightlifting.
Turaganivalu competed in the Women's 59kg this afternoon where she did a lift of 53kg in the snatch and 70kg in the clean and jerk for a total of 123kg.
There are 24 athletes representing Fiji at the Commonwealth Weightlifting 2024 Senior, Junior and Youth Championship which is currently underway at the Vodafone Arena in Suva.
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