AMOE-TARRANT WINS NAURU’S FIRST MEDAL AT CG2018 MAINTAINING THE COUNTRY’S MEDAL WINNING RECORD
Nauru's superheavy weight lifter
Charisma Amoe-Tarrant has won Nauru's first medal at the 2018
Commonwealth Games winning the silver medal in her 90+ kg category
with her combined total lifts of 243 kilos.
Her medal win maintains Nauru's record of winning a medal at every
Commonwealth Games since Nauru first participated in 1990. She
lifted a best snatch of 101kg and best clean and jerk of
142kg.
Nauru sent 16 athletes in four sports to these Games and winning
the team's first medal is something she says is
indescribable.
"Words can't explain how happy I am right now. I did this for my
family. For what my family has been through for the past year, I
just wanted to make them proud. But all I can say is that I'm
extremely happy and I hope that I've made everyone proud back home
in Nauru and also my family here in Australia."
Competing in her first Commonwealth Games is amplified with the
pressure of the crowd and the expectations of maintaining Nauru's
medal record.
"That is the biggest pressure, I'm telling you the truth. When
Paul [Coffa, coach] told me that I had to win a medal otherwise
that (Nauru) record won't be counted anymore so the pressure was on
all the time, and I wanted that medal also because I wanted the
medal [record] to continue for Nauru," Charisma said.
Charisma dropped only one of her six lifts, and owes that to the
distraction of the crowd.
"The crowd was intense. It was pretty noisy. It was a bit hard for
me to try and focus but I got told off by my coach to focus and
block the crowd. It's an amazing crowd, everyone is so
supportive."
"It's a good experience, I'm actually happy that it's in Australia
as this is also my home town."
Charisma next goal is to qualify for the 2020 Olympic Games and
"hopefully make history."
Like most of her fellow lifters, she trains under Paul Coffa at
the Ocean Weightlifting Institute.
Her message to family, friends and supporters, "I made it, I did
it."
It was an even prouder moment as His Excellency, the President of
Nauru Baron Waqa presented the medals.