Samuel Raphael Pera Junior (born March 11, 1989) is a

weightlifter Olympic weightlifting, or Olympic-style weightlifting (officially named Weightlifting), is a sport in which athletes compete in lifting a barbell loaded with weight plates from the ground to overhead, with each athlete trying to successfully lif ...

from the

Cook Islands ) , image_map = Cook Islands on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , capital = Avarua , coordinates = , largest_city = Avarua , official_languages = , langu ...

, competing in the +105 kg category. He was born in

Rarotonga Rarotonga is the largest and most populous of the Cook Islands. The island is volcanic, with an area of , and is home to almost 75% of the country's population, with 13,007 of a total population of 17,434. The Cook Islands' Parliament buildings a ...

. He is the son of weightlifter

Sam Nunuku Pera Sam Nunuke Pera (born 4 April 1969 in Rarotonga) is a retired Cook Islands weightlifter. He represented the Cook Islands in three editions of the Olympic Games (1992, 1996, and 2004), and has been named the nation's sportsman of the year five ...

, who represented the Cook Islands at the

Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The ina ...

in 1992, 1996, 2000, and 2004. At the

2006 Commonwealth Games The 2006 Commonwealth Games, officially the XVIII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Melbourne 2006 ( Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm 2006'' or ''Naarm 2006''), was an international multi-sport event for members of the Commonwealth held ...

he competed against his father in the 105 kg category, and won with 293 kg to 281 kg, ranking 9th. Sam Pera Junior ranked 32nd at the 2007 World Championships, with a total of 330 kg. He won the bronze medal at the 2008 Oceania Senior Championships, with a total of 335 kg. At the 2008 Junior World Championships he ranked 13th, with a total of 340 kg. He is representing the

Cook Islands at the 2008 Summer Olympics On behalf of the Cook Islands the Cook Islands Sports and National Olympic Committee sent a team to the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China, marking its sixth consecutive appearance at the Olympics since its debut in the 1988 Summer Olympic ...

, competing in the +105 kg division.Beijing Olympic profile
/ref> He served as the

Cook Islands ) , image_map = Cook Islands on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , capital = Avarua , coordinates = , largest_city = Avarua , official_languages = , langu ...

flag-bearer in the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Major results

References

External links

*
Biography
on the website of the Beijing Olympics {{DEFAULTSORT:Pera, Sam Jr. 1989 births Living people Olympic weightlifters of the Cook Islands Weightlifters at the 2008 Summer Olympics People from Rarotonga Weightlifters at the 2006 Commonwealth Games Commonwealth Games competitors for the Cook Islands Cook Island male weightlifters