Pacific Nations Claim Three Medals and Break Into Commonwealth Games Top 20

Pacific athletes are making their mark at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, with Samoa, Nauru and Papua New Guinea all securing medals across the opening days of competition.

Papua New Guinea's Morea Baru made history as the first Pacific Island athlete to win a medal at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, claiming bronze in the men's 65kg weightlifting competition.

The 36-year-old lifted a combined total of 282kg, recording 125kg in the snatch and 157kg in the clean and jerk.

The bronze is Baru's fourth Commonwealth Games medal and his second bronze, having previously collected two silver medals at earlier Games.

India's Raja Muthupandi claimed silver with a total of 286kg, while Malaysia's Aznil Biden secured his third consecutive Commonwealth Games gold with 299kg.

Baru wasn't the only Pacific weightlifter to reach the podium.

Samoa's John Lautafi Tafi won silver in the men's 71kg division, while Nauru's Ezekiel Moses claimed bronze in the same event.

The results put Samoa in 15th place on the medal table with one silver, while Nauru and Papua New Guinea are both sitting in 19th with one bronze each.

The weightlifting success continued beyond the medal-winning performances.

Nauru's 18-year-old Jo-Beth Deireragea finished fourth overall in the women's 48kg division on her Commonwealth Games debut, lifting 161kg, including 70kg in the snatch and 91kg in the clean and jerk. Her total surpassed her previous Oceania record of 157kg.

Baru's younger brother, Kevau Baru, also made his Commonwealth Games debut, finishing sixth in the men's 60kg division with a personal-best total of 225kg.

Fiji's Jasmine punches through to the quarterfinals

Fiji's Jasmine Daunakamakama has also delivered a standout performance in Glasgow, defeating Ghana's Adelaide Dede Djabatey by unanimous decision in the women's 57kg Round of 16.

The win included a knockdown and sends the Fijian boxer through to the quarterfinals, where she will be fighting for a chance to reach the medal rounds.

Daunakamakama is Fiji's lone female boxing representative at the Games and has already made a strong impression on debut.

Across the boxing competition, athletes from Fiji, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Niue, Tuvalu, Tonga and Vanuatu have all taken to the ring.

Tonga's Josh Tonga advanced to the men's 80kg Round of 16, while Samoa's Danielle Holland put up a strong fight in the women's 54kg division despite eventually going down to her Mauritian opponent.

Pacific swimmers making waves

In the pool, Fiji's flag bearer David "Tolu" Young reached the men's 50m freestyle final, finishing sixth in 22.18 seconds.

Fiji's Anahira McCutcheon also set a national record in the women's 100m freestyle, clocking 55.78 seconds.

Teammate Samuel Yalimaiwai reached the semifinals of the men's 50m breaststroke after recording a Fiji record of 28.11 seconds, while 19-year-old David Younger posted a personal best of 29.03 seconds.

Fiji's Reuben Taylor and Tonga's Finau Ohuafi both won their 50m freestyle heats but did not progress to the next round.

Cook Islands swimmer Lanihei Connelly reached the semifinals of the women's 100m breaststroke, while Fiji's David Young also finished sixth in the men's 50m freestyle final.

Papua New Guinea's swimmers also put in strong performances, with Josh Tarere and Thomas Chen recording season-best times in the men's 50m freestyle.

Joanna Chen recorded her best time of 1:12.39 in the women's 100m backstroke, while Roxanne Kirarock clocked 1:25.82 in the women's 100m breaststroke.

PNG's mixed 4x100m freestyle relay team also finished in 3:57.71.

Meanwhile, Samoa produced a record-breaking performance in the mixed 4x100m freestyle relay, with Johann Stickland, Paige Schendelaar-Kemp, Nafanua Hamilton and Christian Toia combining for a national record of 3:45.13.

Pacific teams taking on the world

The Glasgow Games have also seen Pacific teams competing across netball, 3x3 basketball and lawn bowls.

Tonga Tala made their Commonwealth Games debut in netball, taking on Australia and South Africa in their opening matches.

In 3x3 basketball, the Tongan women's team recorded wins over Singapore and Papua New Guinea, while Fiji's women made a historic debut and registered their first win against the Cayman Islands.

Papua New Guinea's women's team is also competing in 3x3 basketball, having qualified for Glasgow as one of 12 teams from around the world.

In lawn bowls, Tonga's Milika Nathan and Paris Baker started strongly in the women's pairs, defeating South Africa before narrowly losing to England.

Fiji's Rajnesh Prasad has also recorded multiple wins in the men's singles, while 17-year-old Tonga bowler Liam Hill has competed in the men's singles.

The Pacific nations have faced some tough results across the Games, with Niue, Cook Islands, Fiji, Tonga and Norfolk Islands all recording wins and losses throughout the lawn bowls competition.

But with the Games still underway, the Pacific has already left its mark.

From Baru's historic bronze to Tafi's silver and Moses' bronze, to national records in the pool and breakthrough performances across boxing and 3x3 basketball, Pacific athletes have made a strong start in Glasgow.

And with athletics now getting underway, there are still more opportunities for the Pacific to add to its medal haul.