Tongan archer shoots for World Ranking [1]
Wednesday, August 11, 2004 - 17:00. Updated on Monday, August 17, 2020 - 17:50.
The Olympic countdown is on for Tongan archer Sifa Taumoepeau in Athens who faces a world ranking competition on Thursday 12 August. He will then shoot on Monday in his first Olympic match play, a knock out competition.
Sifa, who is staying in the Olympic Village, told his family in Nuku'alofa that the pressure is building up but the small Tongan team is well looked after. Here are his impressions:
"I have the Tongan flag Hone made hanging over the balcony of our apartment, it's a good thing as it's the only flag we have at the moment. Otherwise no one knows we're here! Everybody else has flags flapping around outside their apartments. The village is big, it will hold about 16,000 people, and the food is 24 hours. They have a McDonalds in the dining room and it's all free!
Most people arrived today (10th) and we have to share targets now. Our ranking is on Thursday so this is when I have to peak. Then we don't shoot until Monday when the match play is.
My room-mate (100m sprinter Filipo Muller) has just been picked to be drug tested. I was helping to translate and they wanted me to go along but I have to practice - it's full house now at the practice venue, 128 people on 32 targets so there is a bit of queuing going on. The countdown is on now and I can feel the nervous energy accumulating!
They have heaps of play station games here too, I played Miika at archery and you actually "shoot" in the stadium we will be shooting in for the finals. The pressure builds up as the time gets closer so I will have to stay relaxed, the 11th is the official practice.
We had a massive rainstorm at lunch-time, the lunch tent nearly blew off, it holds about 7,000 people at once.The food is really good and Toa said I look like I have put on weight. I've eaten rabbit and goat meat. I had McDonalds for lunch, Caesar salad, plenty of fruits like pears, peaches, apples, oranges. Had pistachio, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds, so won't suffer from malnutrition.
Haven't been outside the village yet, there's not much time to do anything but train and rest. The costs here are very high and I don...t expect much difference outside."