| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birth name | Kuinini Juanita Mechteld Manumua | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname(s) | Nini Manumua | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | December 12, 2000 American Samoa | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years active | 2017–present | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Weightlifting | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Kuinini Manumua (born 12 December 2000) is a Tongan-American weightlifter. She competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics in the Women's +87 kg category, the first athlete representing Tonga to do so. She placed in eighth.
Kuinini Manumua was born on 12 December 2000 [1] in American Samoa. [1] [2] She was raised as a child in her parents' home country of Tonga, living in the village of Ha’alaufuli in Vava'u, [3] but her family moved to San Francisco when Manumua was 10. [2] As a high school freshman, Manumua began weightlifting as an extracurricular activity. [2] At the age of 17, Manumua qualified for the American youth world weightlifting team, and won bronze at the 2017 Youth World Weightlifting Championships in the women's +75 kg category, representing the United States of America. [2] [4]
Manumua competed at the 2018 Junior World Weightlifting Championships, representing the United States of America in the women's +90 kg category. [1] [5] She lifted 101 kg in snatch and 130 kg in clean & jerk, coming in fifth place. [1] [5] Manumua's first participation representing Tonga was at the 2018 World Weightlifting Championships, where she competed in the women's +87 kg category. [6] Manumua placed 21st, lifting 98 kg in snatch and 129 kg in clean & jerk. [1] [7]
Speaking to Matangi Tonga , Manumua explained that part of her reasoning for switching teams from the USA to Tonga was that "I wanted to represent my little country so it can, hopefully, be the beginning of something for other Tongan girls like me, to feel inspired to do weightlifting. Or just lifting in general. In addition, I also wanted Tonga to have more recognition in sports, and I feel a lot of pride in representing Tonga." [3]
In 2019, Manumua competed for Tonga in the Oceania Weightlifting Championships in the women's +87 kg category. [1] She placed fifth place in snatch, lifting 80 kg. [1] [8] Manumua also took part in the 2019 World Weightlifting Championships, representing Tonga in the Women's +87 kg group. [1] She lifted 96 kg in snatch and 115 kg in clean & jerk, placing 19th. [1] [9]
In qualifications for the 2020 Summer Olympics in the women's +87 kg category, Manumua placed in 14th, initially failing to qualify. [10] There was controversy surrounding Manumua's exclusion, due to the fact that one of the athletes in the Oceania bracket who did qualify was Laurel Hubbard, who is a transgender female. [2] [11] [12] [13] The San Francisco Chronicle wrote that "Manumua’s name started showing up as a cause celebre in right wing media". [2]
Hubbard, alongside one other Oceania athlete, Iuniarra Sipaia of Samoa, all qualified in the top 8, automatically giving them both a spot at the Games. [10] [14] Outside of the top 8 athletes, each continent then had their next highest-placed athlete qualify. [10] [14] The Oceania slot would have been granted to ninth placed [10] Charisma Amoe-Tarrant from Australia, however Samoa withdrew their weightlifters from the Olympic Games due to COVID-19 restrictions, [15] placing Amoe-Tarrant in the top 8. By this time, Manumua had been granted a Tripartite Commission invitation to represent Tonga. [2] [11] [12] This meant she could not take the spare slot of Oceania. Oceania's spare slot ended up being given to Guatemalan athlete Scarleth Ucelo. [16] [17] Hubbard ultimately failed to finish the event after being unable to complete a clean snatch in her 3 attempts. [18] [19] [20] Manumua said of Hubbard's performance that "I feel bad for her that she bombed out. Bombing out at the Olympics has got to be a horrible feeling." [20]
Manumua's qualification made her the first woman to represent Tonga in weightlifting at the Olympic Games. [3] At the 2020 Olympic Games, she placed eighth, lifting 103 kg in snatch and 125 kg in clean & jerk. [18] [19] Her eighth-placed result was the highest ranking out of the six Tongans who attended the 2020 Olympic Games. [20] Manumua told the San Francisco Chronicle shortly after her Olympic performance that she did "want to go to another [Olympic Game]", and that she wanted "to see how much better I can get in three years". [20]
| Year | Venue | Weight | Snatch (kg) | Clean & Jerk (kg) | Total | Rank | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | Rank | 1 | 2 | 3 | Rank | |||||
Representing  Tonga | ||||||||||||
| Olympic Games | ||||||||||||
| 2021 |  Tokyo, Japan [18] [19] | +87 kg | 100 | 103 | 8 | 125 | 9 | 228 | 8 | |||
| World Championships | ||||||||||||
| 2019 |  Pattaya, Thailand [9] | +87 kg | 90 | 93 | 96 | 19 | 105 | 110 | 115 | 19 | 211 | 19 |
| 2018 |  Ashgabat, Turkmenistan [7] | +87 kg | 98 | 23 | 125 | 129 | 22 | 227 | 23 | |||
| Oceania Weightlifting | ||||||||||||
| 2019 |  Apia, Samoa [8] | +87 kg | 94 | 98 | 5 | — | — | DNF | ||||
Representing  United States | ||||||||||||
| Junior World Weightlifting Championships | ||||||||||||
| 2018 |  Tashkent, Uzbekistan [21] | +90 kg | 98 | 101 | 5 | 125 | 130 | 5 | 231 | 5 | ||
| Youth World Weightlifting Championships | ||||||||||||
| 2017 | Bangkok, Thailand [22] | +75 kg | 88 | 91 | 93 |  | 109 | 117 | | 210 | | |
Manumua is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. [23]
Hiromi Miyake, born 18 November 1985) is a Japanese retired weightlifter. In the 48kg category, she won the silver medal at the 2012 Olympics and won bronze at the 2016 Olympics. Her father and coach is Yoshiyuki Miyake, who was a bronze medallist in weightlifting at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. Her uncle Yoshinobu Miyake was a gold medalist in weightlifting at the 1964 and 1968 Olympics.
Nauru competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics, that were celebrated in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. Nauru was represented by the Nauru Olympic Committee, and was the only nation out of 204 participating nations and territories that sent only a single athlete, and was one of 117 that won no medals at the Games. The sole athlete to represent the nation was Itte Detenamo, who participated in the weightlifting, and was the flag bearer in both the opening and closing ceremonies. This was the same number of athletes as at the 1996 Olympics, when Marcus Stephen represented the country in the same sport, but was a decrease from the nation's last appearance at the Games when three athletes were sent to Athens. Nauru earned a berth for the weightlifting event in the Oceania and South Pacific Olympic Weightlifting Championships in 2008 and a chance to send participants in swimming and athletics events, but chose to send only a weightlifter. Itte Detenamo competed in the Group B of heavyweight class, fifteenth and last event of the weightlifting. He did not earn a medal, but finished with a personal best.
Lydia Valentín Pérez is a Spanish weightlifter, Olympic Champion, 2 time World Champion and 4 time European Champion competing in the 75 kg category until 2018 and 81 kg starting in 2018 after the International Weightlifting Federation reorganized the categories. Lydia has won three Olympic Medals, two World Weightlifting Championships, as well as four European Weightlifting Championships.
Tatiana Yuryevna Kashirina is a Russian Olympic weightlifter, Olympic silver medalist, five time World Champion and eight time European Champion competing in the +90 kg and +75 kg categories until 2018 and +87 kg starting in 2018 after the International Weightlifting Federation reorganized the categories.
Roxana Cocoș is a Romanian weightlifter.
Saikhom Mirabai Chanu is an Indian weightlifter. Mirabai Chanu lifted a total of 201 kg, winning the gold medal at the CWG 2022. She won the silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the Women's 49 kg category. Mirabai Chanu has won the World Championships and multiple medals at the Commonwealth Games. She was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India for her contributions to the sport. She was awarded the sporting honour Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna by the Government of India in 2018.
Lasha Talakhadze is a Georgian weightlifter, holding the all-time world records regardless of weight category in the snatch, the clean and jerk, and the total since 2021.
Martha Ann "Mattie" Rogers is an American Olympic weightlifter. She is a four-time silver medalist at the World Weightlifting Championships. She holds the United States record in the snatch, clean & jerk, and total in the 76 kg category. She competed for the United States at the 2020 Summer Olympics in the 87 kg category.
Kiana Rose Elliott is an Australian weightlifter, competing in the 69 kg category and representing Australia at international competitions.
Nuray Güngör, née Levent is a Turkish weightlifter, who represents Turkey at international competitions.
Laurel Hubbard is a New Zealand weightlifter. Selected to compete at the 2020 Summer Olympics, she was the first openly transgender woman to compete in the Olympic Games. Prior to making her Olympic debut, Hubbard achieved a ranking of 7th in the IWF's women's +87 kg division.
Katherine Vibert is an American weightlifter, Olympian, World Champion, Pan American champion and Junior World Champion competing in the 69 kg category until 2018 and 71 kg starting in 2018 after the International Weightlifting Federation reorganized the categories. She is a winner of the IWF Female Lifter of the Year for 2019.
Bozhidar Dimitrov Andreev is a Bulgarian male weightlifter, and European Champion competing in the 77 kg category until 2018 and 73 kg starting in 2018 after the International Weightlifting Federation reorganized the categories.
Akbar Djuraev is an Uzbekistani weightlifter, Olympic Champion and Junior World Champion. He won the gold medal in the men's 109 kg event at the 2020 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo, Japan. He also won the gold medal in the men's 109 kg event at the 2021 World Weightlifting Championships held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
Li Wenwen, born 5 March 2000, is a Chinese weightlifter competing in the women's +87 kg division. She won the Olympic gold medal for the +87 kg division in 2020, and is the current world champion, as well as the incumbent Asian champion. In 2021, she set the current world records for both clean & jerk and snatch.
Angie Paola Palacios Dájomes is an Ecuadorian weightlifter and two time Youth World Champion competing in the 69 kg category until 2018 and 64 kg starting in 2018 after the International Weightlifting Federation reorganized the categories. She is the younger sister of three time Junior World Champion Neisi Dajomes.
Adijat Adenike Olarinoye is a Nigerian weightlifter. Representative of the Nigerian weightlifting federation. Best Female athlete 2020 & 2021 Mubarak Olarinoye
Nancy Genzel Abouke is a weightlifter representing Nauru, one of only two athletes representing the country in the 2020 Summer Olympics after she was given a tripartite invitation. She participated in the Women's 76 kg category finishing 10th.
Magdeline Moyengwa is a Botswanan weightlifter. She is the first female weightlifter from Botswana to represent her country at the World Weightlifting Championships and the Summer Olympics.
