David Katoatau

David Katoatau (born July 17, 1984) is an I-Kiribati weightlifter.

David Katoatau

Personal information
Nationality	I-Kiribati
Born	(1984-07-17) July 17, 1984 Nonouti, Kiribati
Height	1.66 m (5 ft 5 ^1⁄2 in)
Weight	104.58 kg (230.6 lb)
Sport
Country	Kiribati
Sport	Weightlifting
Medal record Representing  Kiribati Oceania Weightlifting Championships 2007 Apia 94 kg 2009 Darwin 94 kg 2012 Apia 94 kg 2013 Brisbane 105 kg 2014 Mont Dore 105 kg 2016 Suva 105 kg 2006 Apia 85 kg 2010 Suva 94 kg Pacific Games 2015 Port Moresby -105 kg 2007 Apia -85 kg 2011 Nouméa -94 kg Commonwealth Games 2014 Glasgow 105 kg

At the 2007 World Weightlifting Championships he ranked 37th in the 85 kg category, with a total of 281 kg.[1]

He ranked 4th in the 85 kg category at the 2008 Oceania Weightlifting Championships, with a total of 292 kg.[1]

Career

Katoatau represented Kiribati in weightlifting at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China,[2] and also was the national flag bearer at the opening ceremony.[3] In the Olympic tournament he ranked 15th in the 85 kg category, with a total of 313 kg.[4]

In 2012, he was the first I-Kiribati ever to qualify on merit for the Olympic Games (rather than receive a wildcard invitation), in any sport. He finished first in the Oceania Olympic Qualifying Tournament, which also made him Commonwealth champion.[5] As part of Kiribati's delegation at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, he competed in the 94 kg event, and finished 17th out of 21, with a total lift of 325 kg.[6] He was, again, his country's national flag bearer during the Games' opening ceremony.[7]

At the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games he won gold in the 105 kg group A, the first ever Commonwealth Games medal for Kiribati.[8][9]

At the 2016 Summer Olympics, he became famous for his dance routines, which he did to bring awareness of the effects of global warming on his small island nation, upon completion of a clean & jerk lift.[10][11][12][13][14]

Achievements

Athlete	Year	Event	Snatch		Clean & Jerk		Total	Rank
			Result	Rank	Result	Rank
David Katoatau	2008	85 kg	135 kg	18th	178 kg	15th	313 kg	15th
	2012	94 kg	140 kg	17th	185 kg	15th	325 kg	17th
	2016	105 kg	145 kg	17th	204 kg	12th	349 kg	14th

See also

• Kiribati at the 2008 Summer Olympics

References

1. "KATOATAO David". International Weightlifting Federation. Archived from the original on 2011-05-27.
2. "Hale to Olympics", Solomon Star, July 14, 2008
3. "List of Flagbearers Beijing 2008" (PDF). www.olympic.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-08-08. Retrieved 2008-08-08.
4. "KATOATAU David". International Weightlifting Federation. Archived from the original on 2011-05-27.
5. "THE FIRST-EVER OLYMPIC QUALIFIER !", Kiribati National Olympic Committee, June 2013
6. David Katoatau Archived 2016-03-05 at the Wayback Machine. sports-reference.com
7. List of flag bearers, 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony, official website
8. "Glasgow 2014 - Men's 105kg Group A". glasgow2014.com. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
9. "Katoatau the toast of Kiribati". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
10. https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2016/08/david-katoatau-olympics-kiribati/496175/
11. Weightlifter becomes crowd favorite with crazy dances' on YouTube
12. Samuelson, Kate (August 16, 2016). "This Olympic Weightlifter Danced Off Stage to Raise Awareness of Climate Change". time.com. Time. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
13. Boren, Cindy (August 16, 2016). "Kiribati weightlifter is dancing to save his island from climate change". washingtonpost.com. The Washington Post. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
14. Friedman, Uri (August 16, 2016). "The Saddest Olympic Celebration; What do you do when you're competing for a country that might disappear? You dance". theatlantic.com. The Atlantic. Retrieved August 18, 2016.

External links

• Pacific Magazine: Kiribati Sends Three Athletes To Beijing Olympics
• Athlete Biography at beijing2008