Weightlifter Salvatore ‘Sam’ Castiglione competed for Australia at the Edmonton 1978 Commonwealth Games, breaking two Games’ records enroute to winning a gold medal in the middleweight class.
It was the highlight of a long and distinguished career which included numerous state records (in NSW) and more than 30 national records and Commonwealth Records. He has remained in the sport ever since his athletic career concluded, inspiring the next generation of lifters as a coach and as an administrator.
Sam is the former President of Australian Commonwealth Games WA Division and a Life Member of CGA WA Division and started the Connolly Weightlifting Club; a suburb where he has resided for the past three decades. Sam was also instrumental in resurrecting weightlifting in WA in 1988 which was dormant for many years.
Sam has filled many roles at Weightlifting WA – where he has been a Life member since 2005 – including that of Honorary State Treasurer, Honorary Vice President and Honorary State Secretary, as well as serving as an Executive Council member. Sam was the Australian Oceania team’s U/15 and U/17 assistant coach that competed at Commonwealth Championships on the Gold Coast in 2017. The current coach at Grizzly’s Weightlifting Club, Sam is also an accredited National weightlifting referee.