Pacific Mini Games Golden boy John Tafi sets new Oceania record

By Lagi Keresoma/

Apia, SAMOA – 29 April 2026: Named the best overall athlete in the Pacific Mini Games 2025, John Tafi of Samoa not only broke his own records from the Mini Games and set a new Oceania record in the Universal Weightlifting Championship 2026 now in its third day in Samoa.

Competing in the Senior Mens 71 kg category, he lifted 140kg in the Snatch 172kg in the Clean & Jerk sealing a new record and a gold medal for Samoa.

Tafis’ journey
He entered the sport at the age of 17 in 2019 through school sporting activities and his interest in wrestling escalated when he joined Team Samoa for the Oceania Junior Championship hosted in Samoa then.

He won gold medals in the Snatch 95 kg, Clean & Jerk 115 kg and the 61kg category.

In 2021, at the May Challenge Cup, he set a new Oceania Junior and Senior record in the Snatch and Clean & Kerk 73 kg category where he lifted 136kg.

He broke three records during the Oceania Junior Championships 2022 which opened the qualifying door for him at the Commonwealth level.

He competed in the Birmingham Commonwealth Games in 2022 in the Mens’ 73kg division.

The same year he set another new record at the Oceania Junior and Senior 73kg category.

In 2025, he competed in the Oceania Cup International in Melbourne and was named the “best overall male lifter.”

Then at the Pacific Mini Games in Palau in 2025, he secured 3 gold medals for Samoa and was named the “best overall athlete.”

Since 2019, Tafi’s performance has been consistent and has proudly carried Samoas’ name in his journey; but perhaps his best win was achieved at the Universal Weightlifting Championship 2026 in-front of a home crowd yesterday.