Kari, Steven

NOC Papua New Guinea   
GenderMen
Born13 May 1993 in Port Moresby, PNG
Height1.70 m
Human Interest
General Interest
Famous relatives His older sister Rita and his uncle Douglas Mea both competed in weightlifting at international level. (Athlete, 19 Jul 2014; digicelpng.com, 10 Aug 2011)
Awards and honours In 2019 he was named Male Athlete of the Year at the Papua New Guinea Olympic Committee [PNGOC] SP Sports Awards. (postcourier.com.pg, 27 May 2019)

He was Papua New Guinea's flag bearer at the opening ceremony of the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland. He performed the same role at the opening ceremony of the 2010 Youth Olympic Games in Singapore. (pngloop.com, 14 Jul 2014; sportstg.com, 16 Aug 2010)

He was named 2011 Junior Pacific Athlete of the Year by the Pacific Games Council. (sportingpulse.com, 14 Oct 2011)
Further Personal Information
Residence Port Moresby, PNG
Sport Specific Information
Why this sport? He was inspired by his uncle Douglas Mea, who represented Papua New Guinea in the sport.
Name of coach Paul Coffa [club], AUS
Training Regime He trains at the Oceania Weightlifting Institute [OWI] in Noumea, New Caledonia.
When and where did you begin this sport? He began weightlifting at a club owned by his uncle in 2004.
Further Personal Information
Languages English
General Interest
Sporting philosophy / motto "Be the best." (Athlete, 19 Jul 2014)
Sport Specific Information
Club / Team Oceania Weightlifting Institute [OWI]: Nouméa, NCL
General Interest
Other information COACH
He runs a weightlifting club in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. "I want to coach and I want to see a new person rise up to take my place, so my inspiration and challenge are on the young lifters out there." (postcourier.com.pg, 27 May 2019)
Most influential person in career Coach Paul Coffa. (postcourier.com.pg, 27 May 2019)
Milestones After winning gold medals in the 94kg category at both the 2014 and 2018 Commonwealth Games, he became the first athlete from Papua New Guinea from any sport to win two Commonwealth Games gold medals. (SportsDeskOnline, 18 Oct 2018; abc.net.au, 09 Apr 2018; radionz.co.nz, 09 Apr 2018)
Further Personal Information
Occupation Athlete, Coach

Major Results
Year Rank Event Venue
Olympic Games
2012 12 85kg   London
World Championships
2019 26 96kg   Pattaya
2019 33 96kg - Snatch   Pattaya
2019 12 96kg - Clean & Jerk   Pattaya
2011 28 85kg   Paris
2011 34 85kg - Snatch   Paris
2011 26 85kg - Clean & Jerk   Paris
Oceania Championships
2019 1 96kg   Apia
2019 1 96kg - Snatch   Apia
2019 1 96kg - Clean & Jerk   Apia
2018 1 94kg   Le Mont-Dore
2018 2 94kg - Snatch   Le Mont-Dore
2018 1 94kg - Clean & Jerk   Le Mont-Dore
2017 1 94kg   Gold Coast, QLD
2017 1 94kg - Snatch   Gold Coast, QLD
2017 1 94kg - Clean & Jerk   Gold Coast, QLD
2015 1 94kg   Port Moresby
2015 2 94kg - Snatch   Port Moresby
2015 1 94kg - Clean & Jerk   Port Moresby
2014 1 94kg   Le Mont-Dore
2014 2 94kg - Snatch   Le Mont-Dore
2014 1 94kg - Clean & Jerk   Le Mont-Dore
2013 1 94kg   Brisbane, QLD
2012 2 85kg   Apia
2012 2 85kg - Snatch   Apia
2012 2 85kg - Clean & Jerk   Apia
2011 1 85kg   Darwin, NT
2011 1 85kg - Snatch   Darwin, NT
2011 1 85kg - Clean & Jerk   Darwin, NT
2010 2 69kg   Yaren
2010 2 69kg - Snatch   Yaren
2010 2 69kg - Clean & Jerk   Yaren
2008 3 62kg   Auckland
2008 3 62kg - Snatch   Auckland
2008 3 62kg - Clean & Jerk   Auckland
2007 3 62kg   Apia
2007 6 62kg   Apia
Commonwealth Games
2018 1 94kg   Gold Coast, QLD
2014 1 94kg   Glasgow
2010 4 77kg   Delhi