7 Aug 2012

Sport: Samoan coach backs Opeloge for Rio 2016

10:51 am on 7 August 2012

The coach of Samoan weightlifter Ele Opeloge believes she can continue through until the next Olympics but he will give her some time to consider her own future.

The Pacific Games and Oceania champion finished sixth in the women's over 75kg class, lifting a total of 267kg.

Opeloge had gone into the London Games below her best after contracting chickenpox a month ago and her coach, Jerry Wallwork, says she would have won the bronze medal if she'd been in full health.

He says she's good enough to give it one more crack in Rio in 2016 and will discuss that possibility with her over the coming weeks.

"She can take a couple of weeks off ,and I want to give her some time, but she really has to make up her mind now for the next Commonwealth Games and also the Olympic Games if she really wants to put in a set for it she's got to put in the hard work, because it's not easy. The weights have gone up from the last Olympic Games so they've got to work hard. She's still young enough that she can go to the next Olympics but that really depends on her."