Manuel Minginfel (born September 28, 1978) is a former

weightlifter Olympic weightlifting, or Olympic-style weightlifting (officially named Weightlifting), is a sport in which athletes compete in lifting a barbell loaded with weight plates from the ground to overhead, with each athlete trying to successfully lif ...

representing the

Federated States of Micronesia The Federated States of Micronesia (; abbreviated FSM) is an island country in Oceania. It consists of four states from west to east, Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei and Kosraethat are spread across the western Pacific. Together, the states comprise a ...

. In the 62 kg category, he ranked 10th at the 2004 Summer Olympics, 7th at the 2005 World Weightlifting Championships, and 4th at the 2006 World Weightlifting Championships. At the 2008 Oceania Championships he won the gold medal in the 62 kg category. He also represented the

weightlifting Weightlifting generally refers to activities in which people lift weights, often in the form of dumbbells or barbells. People lift various kinds of weights for a variety of different reasons. These may include various types of competition; promo ...

at the 2008 Summer Olympics in

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 ...

, China, where he ranked 11th in the 62 kg category. He was also his country's

flag bearer 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 ...

during the Games' opening ceremony. He competed in the 2012 Summer Olympics where he ranked #10 in the Men's 62 kg category. Minginfel is a native of

Yap Yap ( yap, Waqaab) traditionally refers to an island group located in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, a part of Yap State. The name "Yap" in recent years has come to also refer to the state within the Federated States of Micr ...

. He set a new record snatch in the men's 56 kilo category at the

South Pacific Games The Pacific Games (French: Jeux du Pacifique), is a continental multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from Oceania. The inaugural Games took place in 1963 in Suva, Fiji, and most recently in 2019 in Apia, Samoa. The Games wer ...

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands ( Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands ( Manono and Apolima); ...

in 2007.

Major results

Child Sex abuse controversy and conviction

It was reported by herald that a child reported in 2018 that an inappropriate touch has occurred twice, then at age younger than 13. Minginfel initially denied the allegations, but he admitted sexually touching the girl once. He was pleaded guilty to indecent liberties in November 2019 for sexual contact with a girl incapable of consent. He was sentenced the week before in January. On his release from prison, Minginfel will be on probation for three years and will also have to register as a sex offender.

References

External links

*
United States Office of Insular Affairs: Micronesian Weightlifter Sets New Record at South Pacific Games in Samoa

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20080916181918/http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRM/ENG/BIO/Athlete/5/242525.shtml Athlete Biographyat beijing2008 1978 births Living people People from Yap State Federated States of Micronesia male weightlifters Weightlifters at the 2000 Summer Olympics Weightlifters at the 2004 Summer Olympics Weightlifters at the 2008 Summer Olympics Weightlifters at the 2012 Summer Olympics Olympic weightlifters for the Federated States of Micronesia Federated States of Micronesia people convicted of child sexual abuse {{Weightlifting-bio-stub