Young Papatoetoe weightlifter smashes records on world stage

At just 19 years old, South Auckland athlete Olivia Selemaia has made history by achieving New Zealand’s best-ever finish at an International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) championship, and she’s just getting started.

Earlier this month, Selemaia won a silver medal at the IWF World Youth and Junior Championships in Peru. She lifted 235 kilogrammes, including 106kg in the snatch and 129kg in the clean and jerk, taking home two bronze medals in individual lifts and a silver for her overall effort.

“It was one of my best comps that I’ve ever done internationally,” she tells NiuFM’s Gaby Solomona.

“It was a comp where I was where I needed to be both physically and mentally... It was all or nothing - so we went all for it.”

Selemaia's result bested her own New Zealand record for the Junior Women’s 71kg category from 2023, which was 92kg for the snatch, 107kg for the clean and jerk for an an overall total of 197kg.

Simon Kent, president of Weightlifting New Zealand (WNZ), says the women’s team placed sixth overall out of 54 nations, highlighting the depth of talent across multiple weight classes.

“We have worked hard to develop a system which identifies young potential and, importantly, supports their growth in a holistic way,” he says in a statement. “WNZ is committed to growing resilient athletes of character who epitomise what it means to be Kiwi.”

Litia Nacagilevu also competed in the Junior 87kg category, finishing eighth with a total of 230kg.

Watch NiuFM's interview highlights with Olivia Selemaia below.

An inspiring beginning

Selemaia credits her passion for fitness to her mother.

“When I was nine years old, my mum got me into CrossFit... I enjoyed the lifting part of CrossFit. I wasn’t so much keen on the cardio,” she says.

At 12, Selemaia transitioned into professional Olympic weightlifting and committed to the sport fulltime after graduating from high school.

Now, Selemaia is focused on the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, with a series of qualifying events scheduled from August onwards.

“We have four international competitions that we have to do, which are India, Palau Mini-Games, the Senior World [Championships] in Norway, and then Oceania in Sāmoa next year.”

Selemaia trains multiple times a week at Papatoetoe Weightlifting under the guidance of coach Simon Kent, but admits her strength often surprises others.

“I have what they call a ‘sleeper build’. I wear baggy clothes all the time … and my height doesn’t help me either.”

She is also involved in the Lift for Gold programme, where she teaches high school students about the sport.

“We're going into primary schools, just to get the sport out there and get some kids interested because we do need some youth and juniors coming through.”