Kaya sweeps 59-kg class; Leowell bags 2 silver, 1 bronze

MAJURO, Marshall Islands—The NMI National Weightlifting Team started their run in the 2024 Micronesian Games with a bang as Kaya Rasa swept her 59-kg division with three gold medals and Leowell Cristobal hauled in three medals in his 67-kg weight class in the 2024 Micronesian Games yesterday at the International Convention Center.

Rasa owned her division as she took home gold in all portions—her best lift in the snatch of 58 kg, 75 kg in the clean & jerk, and 133 kg in the total weight.

As for Cristobal earlier in the day, he had a best clean & jerk lift of 143 kg which earned him silver, while he settled for bronze with a best snatch of 106 kg. His other silver was in the total weight lifted with 249kg.

Gold in the total weight lifted was Nauru’s Ditto Ika with 261 kg. Bronze was Kiribati’s Kaimauri Erati at 230 kg.

Gold for the clean & jerk also went to Ika at 150 kg, while bronze went to Erati at 120 kg.

For Rasa, who competed in the Micro Games for the first time, she said the competition was nerve-racking. She got the first-lift jitters out of the way after she failed her first attempt, then came back stronger in her next lifts which eventually handed her the gold.

The 18-year-old bested three other competitors and set her new competition record in the snatch. After her win, she said she felt emotional because she didn’t think she would hit her numbers. As for the Micro Games experience, she said, “I’m loving it. I love being around a lot of people that are involved in sports—we all just share the same energy, the same goals, and the same purpose—which is to bring medals home, so it’s a good time.”

The 2023 Northern Marianas College graduate is on the way to the University of Hawai’i in Manoa to pursue a bachelor’s degree in psychology and will continue weightlifting while there. She then thanked her coaches, teammates, family, and friends for their support.

U.S. Airman Cristobal, who flew from his base in Okinawa, said, “The competition was a good time. My expectations coming in was to do my best and have fun, which I did.” He set new personal bests all around—he added six kilograms in his snatch, five kilograms in the clean & jerk, and 11 kilograms in the total.

He then said, “Also I want to wish a Happy Father’s Day to my dad, Leonardo Cristobal Sr. and happy advance birthday to my brother, Leonardo Cristobal Jr.”

Young up-and-coming lifter Jaden Andrew also stormed the platform for his first Micro Games experience. The 14-year-old incoming freshman set a new personal best in the total weight with his 190-kg overall lift.

He said of his first Micro Games experience, “It felt good. I wasn’t nervous because it wasn’t my first competition, but I was excited.” As to being the youngest in the 67-kg weight class, he said, “I was just scared to miss a lift.” With the competition out of the way, he said, “I can now eat again because I was trying to cut weight.”

Today, the rest of the team will make their debuts—Antonette Labausa, Lucio Eugenio, Riella Ichiuo, and Joseph Pangelinan.