Mao has already played a significant role at these Games, as his nation's flagbearer at the Opening Ceremony, but now the 40-year-old wants to make an even bigger impact.

At Gold Coast 2018 Mao won 105kg gold, one of four medals claimed by Samoan lifters eight years ago. Samoa matched that total at Birmingham 2022, though Mao didn't compete at those Games. 

Mao has won medals in other competitions, including gold at the recent Oceania Weightlifting Championships, and recently set a personal best of 241kg in the clean and jerk. 

“I'm feeling good and I'm ready for the Commonwealth Games competition,” said Mao, who is competing in the Men's +110kg competition in Glasgow. “The team is really strong and I'm ready to compete.

“I will try my best in this big competition. I'm so happy, and I'm going to try my best.”

Mao is one of Samoa’s more experienced competitors in a team that also features 18-year-old Seine Stowers, who has broken three youth world records, in the Women's 77kg. A gold medallist at the Commonwealth Youth Championships in 2025, Stowers is the younger sister of Feagaiga Stowers who secured Weightlifting gold at Gold Coast 2018 and silver at Birmingham 2022. 

“My team pushes the new lifters to go out to strive for medals and we always do well in competitions,” Mao said. “I tell the young lifters to go and try your best and aim for the gold medal.” 

Weightlifting will take place at The SEC Armadillo and will run from 26 July to 30 July. It features eight weight divisions for both women and men, ranging from 48kg to +86kg for the former and 60kg to +110kg for the latter. 

Sanele Mao of Samoa competes in the Men's 105kg Final during the Weightlifting on day five of the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games at Carrara Sports and Leisure Centre on April 9, 2018 on the Gold Coast, Australia.

Photography Dan Mullan/Getty Images

World stars to light up Glasgow

The women’s events feature two Paris 2024 Olympic Games medallists. Canada’s Maude Charron took silver in the 59kg category, while England's Campbell claimed bronze in the +81kg class. Campbell steps up to +86kg in Glasgow after winning gold in the heaviest Women's division at Birmingham 2022.

Charron also won Tokyo 2020 gold and topped the podium at Gold Coast 2018 and Birmingham 2022. She is one of four medallists from the 2025 World Weightlifting Championships, at which she moved up a weight to take silver in the 63kg class. 

There were also world championship silvers for India's Chanu Saikhom Mirabai in the 48kg division and Nigeria’s Rafiatu Lawal in the 58kg category, while Australia’s Eileen Cikamatana took bronze in the 86kg class. 

Charron’s team-mate Etta Mae Love represents the new wave of Canadian weightlifters, and she showed her potential in 2024 when she set a youth world record of 146kg for clean and jerk aged 17. 

It wasn’t the first time Love made an impact in the sport. At 13, she became the youngest woman in North America to lift 200kg. 

“It's really wonderful, this is my first Games and my first multi-sport event, so it's really amazing to be in this environment with so many different athletes,” Love said. 

“Maude (Charron) was definitely someone I looked up to when I was younger. It's really cool to be on a team with her, talking with the team, but also her leading by example and getting to see someone who's more experienced in this environment.

“This is a unique time that we get to all come together and compete, and it definitely builds the team. We all have our personal expectations and our personal dreams and goals, and then we come together to support each other.”

The Weightlifting competition, presented by Amul, starts on 26 July. For the full schedule, click here.