IWF120y/61 – 2007: Olympian Marcus Stephen becomes President of Nauru

It is not uncommon to see successful weightlifters reaching, upon their retirement, high positions in the sports administration (Federation or Olympic Committee) of their respective countries. There are also several cases of former athletes choosing a political career, as members of the parliament or as top officials at the ministry of sport. But the case of Marcus Stephen is exceptional: after competing internationally in the 1990s, he became President of Nauru, the microstate in Oceania, from 2007 to 2011! Three-time Olympian in Barcelona 1992 (under the flag of Samoa, as Nauru didn’t have an Olympic Committee at the time), Atlanta 1996, and Sydney 2000 (on both occasions, already representing Nauru), his best result was a ninth place in Spain. At the IWF level, he clinched a silver medal in the Clean & Jerk section (with a lift of 172.5kg) of the 1999 World Championships. With four participations at the Commonwealth Games, Stephen earned two gold (in 1994 and 1998) and two silver medals (1990 and 2002). Throughout his career, he lifted in the 59/60/62kg categories. Off the platform, he was elected MP in 2003 and ascended in the political hierarchy of his nation, until reaching the Presidency in 2007. His Excellency Marcus Stephen is presently President of the Oceania Weightlifting Federation, Nauru Olympic Committee, and IWF Executive Board Member. At home, he is since 2019 the Speaker of the Parliament of Nauru.