Tuva'a Clifton represents Team Samoa at the Tokyo Olympics
Samoan athlete Tuva’a Clifton just arrived at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics to compete in the men's sprint canoeing, representing #TeamSamoa
Tuva'a is competing in 3 events at the Olympics
You can watch Tuva'as races this Wednesday 4th of August. He competes in the Men's Kayak Single heat at 12.58 pm NZT and Men's Kayak Double at 2.38 pm NZT.
Before he took off for Tokyo we were able to talk to Tuva'a about his Olympic debut and this is what he had to say:
How does it feel to be able to say that you're an “Olympian”?
It's a really cool feeling that sometime in the future I will be able to tell my grandkids that I once competed at the Olympics. But it's also nice to be able to say it after many years of training, and that all that pain during training was not for nothing.
What does representing Samoa at the Olympics mean to you?
I'm proud to be representing Samoa! Although I grew up in New Zealand, I've been well connected to my Samoan culture through bilingual education and family. So to be able to represent Samoa is a huge honor and privilege as it allows me to develop even more of a relationship to that part of me. It also makes me happy knowing that my family in Samoa and New Zealand are watching me, which makes me train harder as I want to make them proud.
Where did your passion for Kayaking come from?
I originally did surf lifesaving at Muriwai Beach and part of it is the competition which includes a surf ski component thats very similar to kayaking. I wanted to get better at surf ski so I joined the local kayak club. From there I began to like Kayaking more and more until eventually it became my main sport and I still love it to this day!
What are you most looking forward to once you land in Tokyo?
Besides all the free stuff and the warm weather? Haha just kidding. I'm most excited about competing against the best in the world in my sport. I have a fair way to get to the top level but it will be great to compare myself to them. Also I'm looking forward to the atmosphere of the Olympic village and being able to meet people from all over the world.
What advice would you give to young Pacific Islanding dreaming to make it to the Olympics one day?
I would say to keep grinding away even if you're not the best yet! When I started I always came dead last in all my races at New Zealand competitions. So even if you're not the best, over time you will get better as long as you keep training hard. Also there is heaps of support for pacific athletes out there to get to the Olympic games so definitely reach out and talk to the Oceania Olympic committee as they will usually lay out a path to take towards qualifying for the Olympics.
