Samoa ranked 17th among 36 nations in Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games

By Jeannie Penehuro/

Apia, SAMOA – 3 August 2026 – Samoa finished 17th out of 36 nations at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, securing a total of two medals.

In the Pacific Region Samoa ranked 3rd, New-Zealand 2nd and Australia 1st.

Samoa earned its 2 medals from weightlifting, with Seine Stowers delivering an outstanding performance.

The women’s 77kg weightlifter set a new Commonwealth record to claim gold, while John Tafi earned Samoa’s silver in the men’s 71kg category.

Anoni Faumuina, competing on her Commonwealth debut, fought fiercely, finishing eighth in the women’s 58kg with a total of 177kg (82kg snatch and 95kg clean & jerk).

Sefulu Seuao placed sixth in the women’s 86kg event, lifting a combined total of 219kg amid a competitive field of ten.

Iuniarra Sipaia completed her campaign with a 100kg snatch but was unable to finish the Women’s +86kg after failing to complete a clean & jerk lift.

Emmanuel Shalom Palota Ulimasao demonstrated resilience in the men’s 94kg, recording a 144kg snatch and 180kg clean & jerk.

Falevaa Tafi marked his first Commonwealth Games appearance, finishing inside the top seven in the men’s 65kg.

Jack Opeloge, after a 159kg snatch, aimed for a 210kg clean & jerk but fell short.

Samoa’s 40-year-old heavyweight Sanele Mao DNF’d (Did Not Finish) in the men’s +110kg division.

In boxing, Marion Ah Tong reached the quarterfinals after defeating Kiribati’s Tavita Kaoma but was eliminated by Scotland’s Sonny Kerr.

Michael Seko also exited in the men’s +90kg quarterfinals after a narrow 3-2 decision against India’s Narender Berwal.

In swimming, the mixed 4x100m freestyle relay team smashed the national record by over four seconds with a time of 3:45.13, finishing ahead of Fiji and Papua New Guinea.

Christian Toia who competed in swimming 50m Breaststroke broke the Samoa National Record in the Men’s 50-metre Breaststroke with a new best time of 29.25.

Sixteen-year-old swimming star Nafanua Hamilton achieved a Personal Best (PB) 58.53 in 100m freestyle.

Alex Rose finished fourth in the men’s discus final with a best throw of 63.32m, while Nuuausala Tuilefano placed 11th in shot put.

Sprinter Symone Tafuna’i clocked an impressive 12.03 seconds in the women’s 100m, finishing fourth in her heat.

In judo, Peniamina “Ben” Percival narrowly missed a medal, losing in the bronze medal repechage after a tough fight against India’s Harsh Tokas.