Weightlifters

Do Better

Perhaps more than any other

sport at the Games, weightlifting

showed big improvements in

standards and performances and put Islands lifting on the edge of international class.

Obviously far more training and homework had gone into competitors’ efforts than shown in Noumea. The New Caledonians were most im proved, the record-breaking NG team the best and Fiji and Western Samoa strong. The solid French Polynesians disappointing.

Rabaul’s Chinese brothers, Jackson and David Seeto, and Apia’s Paul Wallwork, were outstanding. Fiji collected two gold, silver and bronze medals.

The gym at the Murray Barracks was too small to house the numbers of people who wanted to see the afternoon meets. First day was almost chaos with people being turned away and those in the gym hanging from wall steps, standing around the sides and children allowed to get in the way by surrounding the mats.

There was also confusion and an unexplained holdup between lifts when French coaches questioned rules, particularly in a NG-New Caledonia match.

Wallis and Futuna entries, who were powerful but lacked technique, could do better in Tahiti as could the French Polynesians. Guam is also expected to take part at Tahiti.

West Samoa's Paul Wallwork, gold medallist in the middleweight weight lifting.