Yee Chun Leong
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
NATIONAL weightlifter Nina Juna is up for a new challenge having moved down the weight category post shoulder surgery.
She recently contested at the EGAT Thailand 2025 in early May in a newly introduced weight category - Under-53kg.
She managed to lift 65kg in the snatch event and followed that up with 85kg in the clean & jerk.
Her efforts secured her a bronze medal in the latter event.
However, the result wasn't the best having lost her mother one week prior to the competition.
"Honestly, I'm not satisfied with my performance. I think I wasn't mentally strong this time since just a week before flying to Thailand, I lost my mom," said Nina in an interview with BruSports News.
"But I still showed up, stepped on the platform, and gave it my best.
"I finished 4th out of 22 athletes, and sharing the stage with Olympians in my category was a surreal and humbling experience. It was a good fight on that stage," she added.
The 33-year-old previously competed in the U64kg and naturally dropped down to U55kg after her shoulder injury in February last year.
The IWF (International Weightlifting Federation) then introduced new weight classes whereby she had to choose between U53kg or U58kg.
"After discussing with my team, I decided to go with U53kg for a better strategic advantage and a chance to be more competitive," explained Nina.
"It was definitely a challenge, but with discipline and the right mindset, I made it happen," she added.
When asked on what's next, Nina replied: "I'll be focusing on polishing my lifting technique and building more strength in my shoulder.
"I'll be competing in the Brunei National Championship this June, and if there's funding, I hope to compete in the India Commonwealth Qualifiers" she added.
"I'm also aiming for the SEA Games at the end of this year," concluded Nina.
