David Liti is the biggest man in the New Zealand Commonwealth Games team and he delivered big tonight, winning a gold medal in the 105+kg weightlifting event.
Liti was a tremendously popular winner. At 165kg (26st to those of a certain age) he certainly dominates the platform when he’s out there lifting. His winning total was a Commonwealth Games super-heavyweight record of 403kg. It was tight though – second-placed Lauititi Lui of Samoa totalled 400kg.
Liti seems very low-key. He was born in New Zealand but spent the first 10 years of his life in Tonga. He says he was discovered by his coach, Tina Ball, when he was playing rugby and that only his coach and his mother really had faith in him to do something special in his sport.
After tonight the doubters will have faded away.
The gold was not easily won. Liti snatched 166kg, missed at 167kg and then boldly attacked 174kg, which he got, to thunderous applause.
On to the clean and jerk. First with a safe 220kg. Then he missed at 227kg but came back out and had a crack at 229kg, which he needed to secure the gold.
The weights were really shaking as Liti forced the bar skyward. When he achieved the lift, the crowd roared with approval – not just the many New Zealanders watching, but everyone who recognised a champion performance.
Liti said he went into the competition telling himself he just wanted to have fun. “This is my first Commonwealth Games. I didn’t want to mess it up. I just wanted to enjoy it.”
The big man certainly did that tonight, and put a smile on a lot of New Zealanders’ faces at the same time.