Maximina Uepa (born 22 September 2002) is a weightlifter from

Nauru Nauru ( or ; na, Naoero), officially the Republic of Nauru ( na, Repubrikin Naoero) and formerly known as Pleasant Island, is an island country and microstate in Oceania, in the Central Pacific. Its nearest neighbour is Banaba Island in Ki ...

. She won the bronze medal in the women's 76 kg event at the

2022 Commonwealth Games The 2022 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Birmingham 2022, was an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth of Nations that took place in Birmingham, England bet ...

held in Birmingham, England. She is the current Nauruan women's record-holder in the 71kg category for overall, snatch and clean and jerk.

Biography

Uepa was born on 22 September 2002 in Denig, Nauru. Her father, Jezza Uepa, and her brother, Maxius Uepa, are both successful powerlifters. Jezza Uepa won the 120kg+ class/super heavyweight class in the IPF World Powerlifting Championships in 2019. In 2015 she was the youngest competitor at the Commonwealth Youth Games, aged twelve years old. She competed in the 58kg weightlifting category. In 2018, she was

flagbearer A standard-bearer, also known as a flag-bearer is a person (soldier or civilian) who bears an emblem known as a standard or military colours, i.e. either a type of flag or an inflexible but mobile image, which is used (and often honoured) as a f ...

for Nauru at the

Summer Youth Olympics The Youth Olympic Games (YOG) is an international multi-sport event for athletes between 15 and 18 years old, organized by the International Olympic Committee. The games are held every four years in staggered summer and winter events consisten ...

. She was recognised as Nauruan Sportsperson of the Year (Female) in 2018. She was a bronze medallist in the 63kg category at the

Pacific Mini Games The Pacific Mini Games is a continental multi-sport event contested by countries and territories located in Oceania. The event has been held every four years since the inaugural games in Honiara, Solomon Islands in 1981. It was known as the Sou ...

in 2017, only beaten by

Mattie Sasser Mathlynn "Mattie" Langtor Sasser-Robert (born December 25, 1996) is a Marshall Islands, Marshallese-born American weightlifter who currently represents the Marshall Islands. She competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in the Weightlifting at the 20 ...

(gold) and Amanda Gould (silver). In 2019 she moved from the 63kg to the 71kg category. She is the current Nauruan Olympic record-holder in the snatch, clean and jerk and overall; this record was set at the

2019 Pacific Games The 2019 Pacific Games was the sixteenth edition of the Pacific Games. The Games were held in Apia, Samoa, returning there for the first time since 2007. It was the third time overall that the Pacific Games were held in Samoa. The event was init ...

, where she also won two gold medals. In August 2022, Uepa won the bronze medal in the women's 76 kg event at the

held in Birmingham, England. She dedicated her medal to weightlifter Reanna Solomon, who died from COVID-19 in July 2022.

Nauruan records

Current

Historic (2002-2018)

;Medalbox note

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Uepa, Maximina 2002 births Living people Nauruan female weightlifters People from Denigomodu District Commonwealth Games bronze medallists for Nauru Commonwealth Games medallists in weightlifting Weightlifters at the 2022 Commonwealth Games Medallists at the 2022 Commonwealth Games