Sam Nunuke Pera (born 4 April 1969 in

Rarotonga Rarotonga is the largest and most populous of the Cook Islands. The island is volcanic, with an area of , and is home to almost 75% of the country's population, with 13,007 of a total population of 17,434. The Cook Islands' Parliament buildings a ...

) is a retired Cook Islands weightlifter. He represented the

Cook Islands ) , image_map = Cook Islands on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , capital = Avarua , coordinates = , largest_city = Avarua , official_languages = , lan ...

in three editions of the Olympic Games (1992, 1996, and 2004), and has been named the nation's sportsman of the year five times. Pera is also the father of

Sam Pera, Jr. Samuel Raphael Pera Junior (born March 11, 1989) is a Olympic weightlifting, weightlifter from the Cook Islands, competing in the +105 kg category. He was born in Rarotonga. He is the son of weightlifter Sam Nunuku Pera, who represented the ...

, who later competed in the same weightlifting division at the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

. Pera made his official debut in the men's first heavyweight class (100 kg) at the

1992 Summer Olympics The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992, ca, Jocs Olímpics d'estiu de 1992), officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XXV Olimpiada, ca, Jocs de la XXV Olimpíada) and commonly known as ...

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

, where he failed to lift 105 kg for three successive attempts in the single-motion snatch. At the

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

, Pera recovered from a setback with a twenty-fourth-place finish in the men's 99 kg class, lifting a total of 285 kg (120 in the snatch and 165 in the clean and jerk). Following his mediocre performances in weightlifting, he was forced to retire immediately from the sport in the same year. Pera returned from a long absence to compete at the

2002 Commonwealth Games The 2002 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XVII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Manchester 2002 were held in Manchester, England, from 25 July to 4 August, 2002. The 2002 Games were to be hosted in the United Kingdom to coin ...

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

, where he finished fifth in the same division with a total haul of 277 kg. At the

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

, Pera qualified for his third Cook Islands squad, as a 35-year-old, in the men's heavyweight class (105 kg) by receiving a continental berth from the Oceanian Weightlifting Championships. He successfully lifted 135 kg in the single-motion snatch, and hoisted 170 kg in the two-part, shoulder-to-overhead

clean and jerk The clean and jerk is a composite of two weightlifting movements, most often performed with a barbell: the clean and the jerk. During the ''clean'', the lifter moves the barbell from the floor to a racked position across the deltoids, without res ...

to deliver a fourteenth-place finish in a field of twenty-two weightlifters with a total of 305 kg.

References

External links

*
Melbourne 2006 Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pera, Sam Nunuke 1969 births Living people Cook Island male weightlifters Olympic weightlifters for the Cook Islands Weightlifters at the 1992 Summer Olympics Weightlifters at the 1996 Summer Olympics Weightlifters at the 2004 Summer Olympics Weightlifters at the 2002 Commonwealth Games Weightlifters at the 2006 Commonwealth Games People from Rarotonga Commonwealth Games competitors for the Cook Islands