Colisao is Oceania +109kg champion, breaks PB’s in Samoa

Weightlifter Joey Colisao continues to raise the bar in the sport of weightlifting as he’s the Oceania U23 +109kg champion, while also breaking his personal bests during the Oceania Youth, Junior, and U23 Weightlifting Championships 2023.

Colisao attended the 1st Oceania Regional Senior Elite Weightlifting Training Camp at the Samoa High-Performance Center in Apia, Samoa that was held from Sept. 28 to Oct. 4.

In the championships after the camp, Colisao won gold in his division with a 130-kg snatch and 160-kg clean & jerk for a total of 290kg. He said he broke his old total number of 265kg—a 25-kg jump from last year’s numbers at the Pacific Mini Games.

Second place was Samoa’s Fomai Faimanifo and third place was Tahiti’s Kutea Utia.

Colisao said his experience at the camp was “amazing. It’s a totally different environment being surrounded by the best weightlifting athletes in the region. I was a little intimidated by how intense they are with their passion for the sport.”

As for how he felt breaking his personal bests, he said “It felt great to break my old PR numbers. I trained everyday with the thought about breaking them since after the Pacific Mini Games last year. Finally achieving it is great, but now I have new numbers I need to break.”

In terms of what’s next for him, he said “I hope to compete more and continue to break my numbers and row to be the best athlete I can be.” Colisao is part of the weightlifting team representing CNMI in the Pacific Games this Nov. 15 to Dec. 3.

“I’d like to thank the OWF and Samoa Weightlifting Federation for the chance to train in the camp and for the amazing experience,” said Colisao.

John Davis, weightlifting coach who accompanied Colisao, said “The purpose of the first of its kind of camp was to prepare Oceania weightlifting athletes and their coaches for the Olympic weightlifting qualifiers to be held in the region from now until April 2024. Joey had the rare opportunity to interact and work out with coaches, athletes, and medalists from the Olympic Games and Commonwealth championships.”