Tyoni Batsiua (October 14, 1981 – 2004) was a Nauruan weightlifter. She won the Oceania Weightlifting Championships several times and earned six gold medals at the South Pacific Games.[2] She went on to compete in the World Weightlifting Championships and the 2002 Commonwealth Games. Her career was cut short in 2004 by her sudden death at age 22.[3]
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Nauruan |
| Born | October 14, 1981 Boe District, Nauru |
| Died | January 31 or February 1, 2004 (aged 22) Denigomodu District, Nauru |
| Occupation | Weightlifter |
| Years active | 1997–2004 |
| Weight | 52.81 kg (116 lb) (1996)[1] |
Biography edit
Tyoni Batsiua was born in Nauru's Boe District in 1981.[3][4] She was a member of the Eamwit tribe.[3]
Her first weightlifting success came as a teenager at the 1997 South Pacific Mini Games in Pago Pago. Two years later, she competed in the 1999 South Pacific Games in Guam, taking home three gold medals.[5] She won another three at the 2003 South Pacific Games in Fiji.[6] She also competed at the 1998 World Weightlifting Championships in Finland and the 2002 Commonwealth Games.[4][7][8]
In 2004, she planned to compete in the Summer Olympics in Athens, but late that January, she suffered serious injuries in a car accident. She died a few days later, on January 31 or February 1, 2004, at a hospital in Denigomodu District.[3] She left one daughter, named Oceana.[9] At the time of her death she held the junior and senior records in Oceania for the 58 kg class.[10] The Tyoni Batsiua Memorial Cup was established in Nauru in her honor.[11]
References edit
- ^ "69th Men's and 12th Women's World Championships". IWF. 1996. Archived from the original on 2018-09-15.
- ^ "1998 Commonwealth, Oceania, and South Pacific Weightlifting Championships". Weightlifting Queensland. April 1998. p. 32.
- ^ a b c d "Births, Deaths and Marriages" (PDF). Republic of Nauru Government Gazette. 2005-08-17. Retrieved 2023-08-01.
- ^ a b "Tyoni Batsiua". International Weightlifting Federation. Retrieved 2023-08-01.
- ^ "Medal Tally by Sport". South Pacific Games Commission. 1999. Archived from the original on 2001-03-04.
- ^ "Weightlifting Competition". South Pacific Games. 2003. Archived from the original on 2015-07-09.
- ^ "Tyoni Batsiua". Commonwealth Sport. Archived from the original on 2020-05-04.
- ^ Roberts, John (2002-07-31). "Weightlifting: Breeze snatches gold but Batsiua is left with nothing". The Independent. Retrieved 2023-08-01.
- ^ "Personalty Estate of the Late Tyoni Batsiua" (PDF). Republic of Nauru Government Gazette. 2006-08-02. Retrieved 2023-08-01.
- ^ "Mattie wins silver in Reno". The Marshall Islands Journal. 2015-12-18. Retrieved 2023-08-01.
- ^ "Nauru Visit". Commonwealth Weightlifting Federation Latest News. April 2011. Retrieved 2023-08-01.