Taina Basiyalo 
Young Fijian weightlifting sensation Nehemiah Elder [left] has been crowned Best Junior Male Athlete at the 2025 Pacific Mini Games [Source: Team Fiji/Facebook]
Young Fijian weightlifting sensation Nehemiah Elder has been crowned Best Junior Male Athlete at the 2025 Pacific Mini Games after delivering one of the most extraordinary performances in the competition’s history claiming three gold medals and smashing nine records in a single day.
This after the 18-year-old powerhouse lit up the weightlifting stage in Palau, competing in the Men’s 88kg and 94kg combined session against a stacked field of seasoned lifters.
Despite being the youngest athlete in the division, Elder lifted with authority and precision well beyond his years, etching his name in the record books and firmly establishing himself as one of the Pacific’s brightest young talents.
His golden campaign began in the snatch, where he hoisted an astonishing 155kg, a lift that not only earned him his first gold but shattered four records in one go: Oceania Youth, Oceania Junior, Oceania Senior and Pacific Mini Games.
Elder returned to the platform with even greater determination in the clean and jerk, successfully lifting 175kg setting a new Pacific Mini Games record and securing his second gold medal of the day.
But he saved his most historic moment for last.
In the total, his combined lift of 330kg reset the record books again, breaking four more records across all Oceania divisions and claiming his third gold medal, completing an unprecedented clean sweep.
Meanwhile, Heleina Young scooped the Most Outstanding Female Athlete award.
The Pacific Mini Games concluded at the Palau Track and Field stadium last night.
Cook Islands is set to host the next one in 2029.
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