Samoan weightlifters Seine Stowers and June Sipaia are breaking records and inspiring women

When 17-year-old Seine Stowers stepped onto the platform at the 2025 Commonwealth Youth Championships in India she didn't expect to medal.

She certainly didn't expect to win gold.

And she never imagined she would break records while competing against lifters from much larger nations.

She went in simply wanting to do her best.

Instead, Stowers left as one of the Pacific's brightest young athletes, carrying the weight of Samoa's future and her sport on her shoulders.

A few weeks later she is back in Tuana'imato, quietly moving through warm-ups in a world-class high performance facility tucked away in Apia, the heart of Samoa.

There is nothing loud or showy about Stowers. She sits shyly, speaks softly, and carries herself with a humility characteristic of many young Samoan athletes.

You would never guess she is one of the region's rising stars.

Her story is not just about talent, but about what happens when opportunity, structure, and belief meet at the right time.

A new generation of women in weightlifting

Samoa's new generation of women weightlifters now traverse pathways that did not exist a decade ago.

Stowers grew up watching older lifters on television, never imagining she would one day train beside them.

She assumed she would play rugby. Instead, weightlifting found her, and her potential quickly became undeniable.

Her journey is tied closely to her older sister Feagaiga Stowers, a survivor of domestic violence who lived at the Samoa Victim Support Group shelter, House of Hope, and discovered weightlifting in her teens.

Although Feagaiga no longer competes, her story and strength remain one of Seine's biggest motivations.

Family and faith anchor Stowers. She often credits her success to God's blessing, but the beginnings were tough.

Weightlifting is physically demanding and mentally unforgiving. In her early days Stowers often felt overwhelmed and wanted to give up. Thinking of her family's pride kept her going.

Now she trains up to four times a day, living on-site at the Oceania Weightlifting Institute, allowed one day a week to visit home.

She calls her teammates her "brothers and sisters", a community she leans on when training feels hard.

Women in weightlifting once met with quiet disapproval

Unlike some women in the sport, Stowers has never faced public backlash.

Her family's only concern is her education, a reminder of the cultural balance many Pacific athletes must navigate — a commitment to sport and responsibility to future security.

Before Stowers there was June Sipaia, whose career began nearly twenty years ago.

As a teenager Sipaia watched Ele Opeloge compete at the 2007 South Pacific Games.

Opeloge would later become Samoa's first Olympic medallist, winning silver in the 75kg division at the 2008 Beijing Games.

That moment lit a fire in Sipaia, who found the confidence to try weightlifting and never looked back.

She remembers a time when women lifting weights was met with raised eyebrows and quiet disapproval.

Some members of the public would tell her that women should not be lifting because it was "a man's sport".

But inside the gym she never felt out of place. The team felt like family. Support was constant. Belief was shared.

"Weightlifting is my future and my career," Sipaia says, a humble sentence built on years of commitment, sacrifice, and resilience.

Today, Sipaia is preparing for the Olympic qualification pathway for 2026.

She has seen firsthand how the sport has changed.

Many young girls in Samoa want to lift but, as she explains, some hesitate because of the lingering stigma that weightlifting is for men.

To help break that barrier, Sipaia runs beginner classes so women and girls can try the sport in a safe and encouraging environment.

She hopes more will walk through the doors, feel the strength in the room, and discover what weightlifting can offer.

World-class facility in Apia providing new opportunities

Despite their different generations, Sipaia and Stowers share a common truth that weightlifting has opened doors for Samoan women in ways that once seemed unlikely.

A major part of that shift sits inside the Oceania Weightlifting Institute and Academy.

The facility itself is straightforward and practical.

Platforms are arranged in a square formation, with the coach standing in the centre, overseeing the room.

When training is underway, the Samoan lifters train on one side and visitors, in this case the New Zealand team, train on the other.

You hear cheering from both sides as athletes attempt heavy lifts — a mix of cultures and competitive energy in one space.

Near the corner between the car park and the hall, benches line the wall for family, friends, and supporters who come to watch.

Inside the atmosphere stays calm and deliberate until training begins, then the room fills with the sound of weights landing and supporters shouting encouragement.

The Institute is currently the only facility of its kind in the Pacific and has become a high performance base for both Samoa and the region.

Unlike many sports pathways in Samoa, weightlifters here train within a structured residential program.

Athletes live on-site and receive a consistent living allowance, a level of stability uncommon in the Pacific.

This financial and structural support allows them to train full-time, take their sport seriously, and see it as a viable career path.

It is increasingly seen as an example of how proper investment can elevate Pacific athletes.

It has also brought Samoa to attention on the world stage. In 2025 it will host 110 countries for the Weightlifting World Cup while its athletes will travel to the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

Tuaopepe Jerry Wallwork, president of Samoa Weightlifting and SASNOC, and head coach, forecasts a massive year.

"We've got a lot going on for the next 12 months and a lot coming this way," he says.

Stowers and Sipaia break world and Oceania records

In November both Stowers and Sipaia travelled to Melbourne for the Australian Weightlifting Championships.

With trademark humility both arrived hoping to do their best before delivering performances that reinforced their place among the Pacific's strongest athletes.

Stowers broke three youth world records in the women's 77kg division, lifting 107kg in the snatch and 137kg in the clean and jerk.

Sipaia set new Oceania records in the 86+ category with a 112kg snatch and a 155kg clean and jerk.

Their results were more than medal-winning performances — they were a statement. Samoa's women are not just keeping up with the world. They are leading.

As they look forward to hosting the 2026 Weightlifting World Cup, Samoan momentum continues to build.

Lifting on home soil brings excitement and nerves, especially for Stowers who will compete internationally in front of a home crowd for the first time.

She is focused on the Commonwealth Games and beyond, with hopes of one day reaching the Olympic stage.

Sipaia, meanwhile, is pushing toward Olympic qualification.

Their stories reflect something powerful happening in Samoa — the rise of women in weightlifting supported by a structure that finally allows their talent to thrive.

And as the sport continues to grow Stowers and Sipaia show that strength, discipline, and opportunity can shape not just athletes but the story of a nation.

Olivia Hogarth is a former Samoan athlete and advocate for Pacific athletes and their pathways.

She is part of ABC International Development's Women in News and Sport Initiative, funded by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade through the Team Up program.