Mataika Tuicakau

Mataika Tuicakau was a Fijian track and field athlete who competed in the shot put and discus throw events.

Mataika Tuicakau
Tuicakau at the 1950 British Empire Games
Sport
SportAthletics
Event(s)Shot put, discus throw
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)SP – 15.48 m (1951)[1]
Medal record
Representing  Fiji
1950 British Empire Games
1950 AucklandShot put
1950 AucklandDiscus throw

Born on Tovu, Totoya on the Lau Islands of Fiji, Tuicakau was a tall athlete who excelled at throwing events.[2] He was the first Fijian to have success internationally in the sport of athletics.[3][4] At the 1950 British Empire Games he threw 14.64 m (48 ft 1⁄4 in) in the shot put to hold off England's Harold Moody and be declared the champion. He also claimed a silver medal in the discus behind Ian Reed of Australia, who broke the games record in the process.[5][6]

He was the first gold medallist for Fiji at the Commonwealth Games and remains their only athletics winner in the tournament's history.[7] The shot put national record of 15.48 m (50 ft 9 1⁄4 in) he set in Suva in 1951 stood for over 50 years.[8] He was the first entrant into the Fiji Sports Hall of Fame alongside rugby player Josefa Levula.[9]

References
  1. Mataika Tuicakau. IAAF
  2. Charter Inductee 1990 Mataika Tuicakau – Athletics. Fox Sports Pulse. Retrieved on 2016-03-16.
  3. Matthews, Peter (2012). Historical Dictionary of Track and Field. Scarecrow Press, p. 81. Retrieved on 2016-03-16.
  4. Rakoko, Kameli (2015-01-12). The priceless moment. The Fiji Times. Retrieved on 2016-03-16.
  5. Commonwealth Games. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2016-03-16.
  6. Games Results for Mataika Tuicakau. Commonwealth Games Federation. Retrieved on 2016-03-16.
  7. Fiji. Commonwealth Games Federation. Retrieved on 2016-03-16.
  8. Legends Mataika Tuicakau – Athletics (Fiji) Charter Inductee 1990 Mataika Tuicakau – Athletics. Oceania Sports Information Centre. Retrieved on 2016-03-16.
  9. Fiji Sports Hall of Fame. Sporting Pulse. Retrieved on 2016-03-16.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.