Despite managing their first medal of the Pacific Games, Tuvalu's Chef de Mission Nakibae Kitisane, believes he let the chance of another slip from his grasp.
Tuvalu Chef de Mission Nakibae Kitisane. Photo: RNZ / Vinnie Wylie
The 46 year old isn't just the man in charge of Tuvalu's 130-strong delegation - he's also attending his third games as an athlete in power-lifting.
Competing in the 74kg division, Kitisane had the third best bench-press and dead-lift but failed to complete the squat, meaning his final total was zero.
"If I don't bomb out I can get the silver or the bronze medal but the last two months I didn't train properly because I also had to complete my thesis for my masters programme so it's no time to train. I just graduated last month with a masters in sports management."
Despite coming up short himself, Nakibae Kitisane is backing Telupe Iosefa to win Tuvalu's first medal in PNG and break the world record in today's 120kg division.
