NZ Team Flagbearer David Liti Lifts Through Grief To Win Double Gold At Pacific Mini Games
Liti's performance was a boost for the New Zealand weightlifting team, who finished the Mini Games with a total of eight medals: two gold, three silver, and three bronze.
The lead-up to the Mini Games, however, was anything but easy for Liti.
The second youngest of eleven siblings, he has spent the past month grieving the loss of his mother Sisi Luisa to cancer.
With limited time and focus for training ahead of the competition in Palau, Liti admitted he hadn't expected to perform at his best, or find success on the platform.
"I took a lot of time off…with my mum being sick and passing away in the last month," he said.
"Mentally, it was a little bit tough, but I knew I had to come back for her. My mum would be angry at me if I didn't.
"It was a really awkward, weird, successful day," Liti said.
"I did not come in expecting to take home gold, but with a little bit of last-minute plans and tactical plays outside in the back room, we managed to surpass all those hurdles and come out with the gold today."
In saying that, he came and did what he "needed to do".
"After these past few months,we did what we needed to do. We came into this slowly…I mean, there's always room for improvement. But today is done - whatever is done is done - and I'm happy," Liti said.
Looking ahead, Liti is focused on what's next, with the Commonwealth Championships in India just weeks away and bigger competitions, such as the 2026 Commonwealth Games, on the horizon.
"The build-up from now is to be at peak performance by India, which is another seven to eight weeks from here, and then just carry on to the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow," Liti said.
Patolo, Soloai also add medals
Within the space of a year, Tui-Alofa Patolo and Judy Soloai have taken the weightlifting scene by storm while holding down full-time jobs and only recently stepping into the sport.
Alongside Liti, teammates Patolo, 34, and Soloai, 30, added to the team's medal tally with three bronze medals.
Soloai claimed bronze in both the women's 86kg+ clean and jerk and the overall total, while Patolo secured bronze in the 86kg+ snatch.
The success of both has been impressive, with both weighlifters having only joined the sport within the year.
Soloai said that she had initially got into it as a mental outlet.
"My full-time job is as a forensic mental health clinician in Hawkes Bay prison," she said. "I think with the mental capacity it takes for me to be at my job, I needed something that was going to be an outlet…I wanted to be active, you know, just something that's more healthier for me."
In October 2024, she tested the waters with weightlifting, and discovered she was a natural talent.
"I didn't realise how naturally strong I was. I met some people... and they kind of encouraged me to pick it up as a sport."
Encouraged by those around her, the results came quickly.
"On my second competition, which was a week after my first, I did get a podium. I hit some numbers that I didn't realise were really good nationally."
That moment changed things for Soloai, and she had nothing to lose by pursuing the sport.
"I thought, you know what? If this is an advantage for me, why not? I've got nothing to lose... and it's just been really, really good.
"I've excelled really fast. This is a sport I think a lot our Pacific and Maori women would thrive in - so people should get in there. It takes consistency and effort to get where you want to be, but it's so worth it."
Alongside Soloai, Patolo has enjoyed similar success, although she almost didn't make it to the Mini Games.
After qualifying earlier in the year, she was unsure about committing to the trip.
"I actually wasn't gonna come," Patolo said. "I just have a lot going on in my own life. But not everyone gets this opportunity, and what have I got to lose? I've got everything to gain."
It was Soloai's decision to go that ultimately encouraged her.
"If it wasn't for Judy coming as well, I would have never come," Patolo laughed. "We just really support each other."
Another source of support is her husband, who said that her husband helped put together make-shift weights at home so that she could train in the garden.
Similarly to Soloai, Patolo only joined the sport earlier on in 2024, and leads a busy life as a full-time Court Reporter for the Ministry of Justice, so she aims to train intensively around three times a week.
She is also soaking in the successes attributed to her newfound success.
"With what Judy said…the invitation [to join] is not just to young women, it's also to the older wāhine. Because I'm 34...I just think, just get amongst it. You might surprise yourself."
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So that's the toughest thing about being a sports person from New Zealand, that we're very far away from the rest of the world, and different competition and different experiences that you can get is not easy and it probably stops a lot of people going professional if you have to move that far away and you're not prepared to do it... I think is one of the biggest disadvantages for New Zealand athletes." Although he has a house in the Netherlands, as a top player he still spends most of his time living out of a suitcase. "I'm probably travelling two countries a month, almost. So, it's definitely a busy lifestyle but got to do it while I can." What is always packed in the luggage is his retro Greymouth warm-up jacket. "Keeping my ties to New Zealand is what I really like and gives me a lot of motivation to compete so far away from everyone. "I definitely love looking at the New Zealand flag and wearing the New Zealand badge and the silver fern and really gives me a lot of pride." Squash is an individual sport and Coll is a rarity on the men's circuit. He is surrounded by players who fly the flag for the likes of Egypt, Peru, Wales, England, France, USA, Japan, Belgium and Malaysia. As the only New Zealander sometimes it hits home what he is achieving. "If I win a tournament, I'm the first New Zealander to do it, it's really cool just to have those sort of stats and see those pop up. So 100 percent it's cool to see that." Coll has been to three Commonwealth Games and it is that pinnacle event that he said he enjoys the most and the connection to New Zealand can feel the strongest. "Just to have that feeling of being in a wider team and not just playing for myself. I love New Zealand and to be able to compete for them, but just to have the bigger team around me I really enjoy those sort of events and experiences. So it's definitely some of my favourite events to look forward to." Coll said he struggled being away from home and family. "It's not something I'll be able to do for my whole life, but it's cool to see the joy that it brings to family and friends, but at the same time, it's very hard to be away from home for so long and miss out on so many family occasions. "I do get a lot of support from back home, which is really cool, and just try and soak that up and pay attention to how much support I do have and how much everyone enjoys following me and just see that side of it."
