Australian weightlifting coach Paul Coffa has predicted Australian Eileen Cikamatana will win the Olympic gold medal at the Paris Olympic Games.
The seasoned coach, who is attending his 10th Games, is adamant the Fijian-born 24-year-old has the ability to mix it with the world’s best lifters in the +81kg category in Paris.
Coffa, 80, spent 26-years transforming the South Pacific into a powerhouse weightlifting region through the Oceania Weightlifting Institute he ran with his wife Lily and was the first coach to be inducted in the IWF Hall of Fame. He received that honour on the day Cikamatana won two medals at the 2022 World Championships in Bogota.
Coffa sees something special in Eileen who at age 11 was carting 50kg bags of animal feed on the family’s farm near Levuka, Fiji’s original capital on the island of Ovalau.
“There’s nothing in my mind but gold,” Coffa said of her chances.
“She has the ability. She’s strong. She’s prepared. No injuries. She wants gold at all costs.
“We’re going for gold.”
If Coffa knows anything, it’s weightlifting.
The night before Dean Lukin lifted 40-years-ago, a television commentator asked Coffa what would happen in the event the next day?
He replied, Australia would win a gold medal.
“Lukin won gold. I’m not waiting until the day before to say it this time: Eileen Cikamatana, I’m confident, will go for gold in Paris,” he said.
Asked if he risked putting Cikimatana under pressure by making his prediction so public.
“Eileen has the same attitude as Lukin,” Coffa said.
“She’s not here to waste time; she knows what she wants. Nothing will stand in her way.
“When I first saw her at 15, you could see she had talent even though she was very young.
“We developed a relationship, something only a coach and athlete understands, but one of the keys to trust is success. Eileen’s had great success; there’s more to come.”
For Eileen, who makes her Olympic debut in Paris, weightlifting is as necessary as oxygen for her to survive.
“I feel sick if I go through a day without lifting,” she said.
“My sport challenges me to bring my very best every single day. The weight, the plates, everything looks heavy, but if your mind is willing to do it, you’ll do anything.”
Eileen will compete in the women’s +81kg category at the South Paris Arena on Sunday 11 August.
Daniel Lane
