Iuniarra Sipaia

Iuniarra Sipaia (née Simanu, born 25 June 1993) is a Samoan female weightlifter.[1] She has represented Samoa in several international competitions such as Pacific Mini Games, Commonwealth Games, Oceania Weightlifting Championships and Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games.

Iuniarra Sipaia
Personal information
Born (1993-06-25) June 25, 1993
Motootua, Samoa
Sport
CountrySamoa
SportWeightlifting
Medal record
Representing  Samoa
Women's weightlifting
Pacific Games
Bronze medal – third place2011 Nouméa+75 kg
Bronze medal – third place2019 Apia+87 kg
Commonwealth Championships
Gold medal – first place2016 Penang+75 kg
Silver medal – second place2017 Gold Coast+90 kg
Bronze medal – third place2012 Apia+75 kg
Bronze medal – third place2019 Apia+87 kg
Oceania Championships
Gold medal – first place2016 Suva+75 kg
Silver medal – second place2017 Gold Coast+90 kg
Silver medal – second place2018 Le Mont-Dore+90 kg
Silver medal – second place2021+87 kg
Bronze medal – third place2011 Darwin+75 kg
Bronze medal – third place2014 Le Mont-Dore+75 kg
Bronze medal – third place2019 Apia+87 kg
Pacific Mini Games
Gold medal – first place2013 Mata Utu+75 kg
Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games
Bronze medal – third place2017 Ashgabat+90 kg
Arafura Games
Silver medal – second place2019 Darwin+87 kg
Bronze medal – third place2011 Darwin+75 kg

As a junior, she participated at the 2010 Summer Youth Olympics in the Girls' +63 event. She participated at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in the +75 kg event.[2] She won the bronze medal at the 2011 Pacific Games.[3]

Iuniarra won gold medal at the 2013 Pacific Mini Games in the over 75 kg category and set a new milestone in the sport of Weightlifting in Samoa. She was able to represent Samoa at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and competed in the women's over 75 kg category. She continued her dominance in the sport as she claimed 3 gold medals in the over 75 kg categories at the 2016 Oceania Weightlifting Championships.[4] She was also the part of the Samoan delegation which made its debut at the 2017 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games and claimed a bronze medal in the women's +90 kg event.

At the 2017 Australian Open Weightlifting Championships, she emerged as runners-up to a New Zealand transgender weightlifter, Laurel Hubbard. Laurel Hubbard lifted a weight of 268 kg, which was 19 kg more than that of Iuniarra Sipaia of Samoa and raised controversial issues relating to the approval of Laurel Hubbard to compete at the international competition.[5][6]

After the 2017 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games she was subsequently suspended for using Triamcinolone acetonide.[7] In April 2018 she cleared herself out and her ban was abolished. However, she had to missed the 2017 Pacific Mini Games, where she was a defending champion and couldn't compete at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.[8]

At the 2023 World Weightlifting Championships in September 2023 she qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.[9]

Major results
Year Venue Weight Snatch (kg) Clean & Jerk (kg) Total Rank
123ResultRank123ResultRank
Representing  Samoa
World Championships
2019Thailand Pattaya, Thailand[10]+87 kg102107107102181411461501461124816
2018Turkmenistan Ashgabat, Turkmenistan+87 kg102107111107161351401431431325015
Pacific Games
2019Samoa Apia, Samoa+87 kg1031041081083rd place, bronze medalist(s)1421471471471st place, gold medalist(s)2553rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Arafura Games
2019Australia Darwin, Australia+87 kg102102107107214014414614612532nd place, silver medalist(s)
Oceania Championships
2019Samoa Apia, Samoa+87 kg103104108108314214714714712553rd place, bronze medalist(s)
2018New Caledonia Mont-Dore, New Caledonia+90 kg102106110106113613613613622422nd place, silver medalist(s)
2017Australia Gold Coast, Australia+90 kg103108110108213714214614222502nd place, silver medalist(s)
2016Fiji Suva, Fiji+75 kg100104107107113013413913912461st place, gold medalist(s)
2014New Caledonia Mont-Dore, New Caledonia+75 kg98102106102312713313312732293rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Commonwealth Championships
2019Samoa Apia, Samoa+87 kg10310410810831421471471471st place, gold medalist(s)2553rd place, bronze medalist(s)
2017Australia Gold Coast, Australia+90 kg103108110108213714214614222502nd place, silver medalist(s)
2016Malaysia Penang, Malaysia+75 kg99104108108112513013513512431st place, gold medalist(s)
2013Malaysia Penang, Malaysia+75 kg———1005———12662265
Commonwealth Games
2014Scotland Glasgow, Scotland+75 kg98102105102412613113613142335

References
  1. "IWRP - Weightlifting Database". www.iwrp.net. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
  2. "Weightlifting at the 2010 Commonwealth Games - Iuniarra Simanu". iwf.net. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
  3. "2011 Pacific Games - Iuniarra Simanu". iwf.net. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  4. "Results by Events - International Weightlifting Federation". International Weightlifting Federation. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
  5. "Woman lifter beaten by transgender speaks up". Samoa Observer. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
  6. "Transgender weightlifter under fire from competitors after qualifying for Commonwealth Games". Women in the World in Association with The New York Times - WITW. 2017-03-22. Retrieved 2017-12-05.
  7. "PUBLIC DISCLOSURE". www.iwf.net. Retrieved 2018-11-15.
  8. "Samoan weightlifter cleared, ban overturned". www.radionz.co.nz. Retrieved 2018-11-15.
  9. Talaia Mika (17 September 2023). "Don and Iuniarra qualify for Olympic Games". Samoa Observer. Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  10. "2019 World Weightlifting Championship Results" (PDF). IWF. Retrieved 5 October 2019.
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