M

Meamea Thomas

Born
September 11, 1987
Died
June 23, 2013
Age
25 years
Cause
traffic collision

Remembering Meamea Thomas: related finds and keepsakes

About Meamea Thomas

Meamea Thomas was a notable figure. Born in 1987, Thomas died in 2013 at the age of 25.

Explore other notable deaths in 2013 or deaths in June 2013.

Advertisement

Full Biography

|

Meamea Thomas (11 September 1987 in Tarawa – c. 23 June 2013) was an I-Kiribati weightlifter.

Thomas represented Kiribati in the men's 85 kg event at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. He was, at that time, ranked 63rd in the world. He finished 13th, having lifted 292.5 kg. He was also his country's flagbearer during the Opening Ceremony. He had previously won gold in the same event at the 2003 South Pacific Games in Suva. He did not take part in the 2008 Olympics.

In all, he won two gold medals at the 2003 South Pacific Games, and three at the 2009 Pacific Mini Games. He won silver at the 2011 Pacific Games, and was twice Oceania Champion: in 2004 and 2010.

On or around 23 June 2013, he was killed in a crash in his home country, at the age of 25. He saw a bicycle rider about to be hit by a speeding car, and pushed the rider to safety. He was hit instead, and died instantly. The driver of the car was drunk. Paul Coffa, General Secretary of the Oceania Weightlifting Federation, paid tribute to his heroism in sacrificing himself to save a life.

Content from Wikipedia — licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0

Books & Media

Find books, audiobooks and films about Meamea Thomas on Amazon.

Available at Amazon

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.

Sources

People who died on June 23

Spotted an error?

Help us keep the archive accurate. Report a correction with a source.

Report an error for Meamea Thomas →

Advertisement

We use cookies for analytics (Google Analytics 4 and PostHog) and advertising (Google AdSense) to understand site usage and improve your experience. By clicking "Accept All", you consent to the use of these cookies. See our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy for details.