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Samoa powerlifter heads for World Masters

Age is never a barrier. Samoa’s flag will soon be flying high in the Land of Opportunity – America. One man has set off on a mission. A mission that has been laden with many personal sacrifices and at times, some obstacles but Atoa Tavita Lipine, has proven that with a staunch faith in God, hard work and determination, there is nothing that can stand in the way of achieving your goal. Currently a role model for the students at NUS, where he is a lecturer in the Faculty of Education, Dr Tavita Lipine PhD, 56, is Samoa’s golden hope not only for a gold medal but also for a World Masters Record in the International Powerlifting Federation’s World Masters Championships, Oct. 2-7 in Killen, Texas. The World Master’s Powerlifting Championship is a competition where individuals aged 40 years and upwards compete for world supremacy in the three powerlifting lifts – the squat, bench press and the deadlift.Lipine will be competing in the 105KG weight M2 division (50-59 years old) where he faces stiff competition from the powerhouses of international powerlifting. He will be accompanied by one of Samoa’s sporting heroes, Tauiliili Ofisa Jr. Ofisa, who will be acting in a coaching and manager capacity. Tavita will compete on Friday Oct 5th (Oct 6th in Samoa) and hopes to set a World Record in the squat which currently stands at 340.5kg. He has done 350kg in training. Off course his main objective is to come away with the overall gold medal.