Mataika Tuicakau was a Fijian track and field athlete who competed in the shot put and discus throw events.
 Tuicakau at the 1950 British Empire Games | |
| Sport | |
|---|---|
| Sport | Athletics |
| Event(s) | Shot put, discus throw |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personal best | SP – 15.48 m (1951)[1] |
Medal record | |
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 edit
- ^ Mataika Tuicakau at World Athletics at the Wayback Machine (archived 2018-07-06)
- ^ Charter Inductee 1990 Mataika Tuicakau – Athletics. Fox Sports Pulse. Retrieved on 2016-03-16.
- ^ Matthews, Peter (2012). Historical Dictionary of Track and Field. Scarecrow Press, p. 81. Retrieved on 2016-03-16.
- ^ Rakoko, Kameli (2015-01-12). The priceless moment. The Fiji Times. Retrieved on 2016-03-16.
- ^ Commonwealth Games. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2016-03-16.
- ^ Games Results for Mataika Tuicakau. Commonwealth Games Federation. Retrieved on 2016-03-16.
- ^ Fiji. Commonwealth Games Federation. Retrieved on 2016-03-16.
- ^ Legends Mataika Tuicakau – Athletics (Fiji) Charter Inductee 1990 Mataika Tuicakau – Athletics. Oceania Sports Information Centre. Retrieved on 2016-03-16.
- ^ Fiji Sports Hall of Fame. Sporting Pulse. Retrieved on 2016-03-16.
External links edit
- Mataika Tuicakau at World Athletics at the Wayback Machine (archived 2018-07-06)