Picture Credit: Twitter
Every story comes to an end and there is no way it can be avoided. Vaipava Ioane of Samoa knew it very well as he went for a lift of a massive 174kg in his third attempt at the Clean & Jerk round of Men’s 67kg Final. Although he failed in his attempt to bring home the gold medal, he had done enough to secure a silver medal for his country at the CWG 2022. This was not the first instance Vaipava Ioane won a medal but it was definitely the last one.
The 34-year-old lifter announced his retirement and could not stop the rush of emotions and broke into tears after his last-ever lift. The Samoan took off his shoes and left them on the platform indicating that he won’t wear them again. Vaipava Ioane was then seen wiping his tears that were slowly rolling down his cheeks. The lifter then bowed to thank the crowd for their love and support and slowly walked off to the change room.
He returned for the medal ceremony and stood behind India’s Jeremy Lalrinnunga on the podium. He was still sinking in the feeling that this will be his last-ever appearance and looked lost in his thoughts. But Vaipava Ioane did not forget to congratulate the gold medal winner and took off the garland he had received and put it around Jeremy’s neck. The three winners then hugged each other to give the viewers a wholesome moment.
Watch the video here:
The 34-year-old lifter from Samoa finished his career with two Commonwealth Games medals. His first one came in the 2014 Glasgow Games when he secured the bronze medal in the Men’s 62kg final. The second came in the 2022 Birmingham Games where Vaipava won the silver medal in the Men’s 67kg Final. He finished the event with a lift of 293kg (127kg+166kg).