By Eleanor Gee

Tongans have big health issues around obesity, diabetes, heart problems and high blood pressure. "If I can get one family or one child moving to live a better lifestyle for themselves - then our future looks a little bit brighter for these kids,” said Valerie Adams, three-time Olympic medalist.

Embracing her new role as the first-ever New Zealand Pacific Sports Ambassador, Valerie (32) is busy in Tonga promoting healthy lifestyles and taking part in sports events.

“We are responsible as adults right now to help our kids live a healthier lifestyle and my post here is to be able to help encourage and inspire that,” she said yesterday. 

“The reality is the children of Tonga are the future of Tonga,” she said.

Valerie inspires primary school children to move and play and have fun. She is also holding coaching clinics with up-and-coming athletes to help them advance with goal setting and to understand what it takes to be a champion.

Moving your body

“It was awesome. I think everybody had a great time but more importantly they moved, you know. They moved and they didn’t think about it. They were having so much fun.”

Valerie stresses to all Tongans that 30 minutes of moving a day, whether it’s walking somewhere, doing the lawns or the garden all helps toward living a healthier life.

The elite athlete’s new role came about when the New Zealand Government, responding to a serious rise in non-communicable diseases, decided to promote healthier lifestyles in the Pacific.

“Valerie was an obvious choice because she is an elite athlete, she’s got very strong connections, family ties to Tonga, and so it was just a very easy choice for us,” said HE Sarah Walsh, New Zealand High Commissioner to Tonga.

2019 Pacific Games

The three-time Olympic medalist is advocating for the 2019 Pacific Games to be held in Tonga to provide opportunities to Tongan athletes.

“I hope that things can be resolved so that the opportunity is given to the athletes to compete here in their country,” she said regarding the uncertainty of the Pacific Games being held in Tonga in 2019.

“It’s actually our future champions and future athletes who will miss out on such a prestigious opportunity to compete here in your backyard.”

“I myself as an athlete took every opportunity in front of me. I didn’t have the best upbringing, I know how tough life can be.“

Valerie said her first gold medal took 10 years, "so I just want to emphasize the importance that the responsibilities we have on our shoulders, to make sure that we are there for our children and we are there for the future of this country.”

Valerie says she will continue to “inspire the athletes of Tonga to continue to do what they do because at the end of the day, regardless of what happens with the politics side of it, it’s the kids that miss out.”

She hopes Tonga will progress and work towards the 2019 games.

Achievements

At just 32-years of age, Valerie achievements include being a four-time World champion, three-time World Indoor champion, three-time Olympic medalist (two gold and one silver) and three-time Commonwealth gold medalist.

“It isn’t something that has been handed out but something I have always dreamed about and after 10 years of working hard, I won my first Olympic games,” she said

“I always tell athletes that hard work always pays off. I mean, half the battle is that you actually gotta love what you do regardless if it’s sports, if you want to be a lawyer, you want to be the Prime Minister of Tonga, you know, anything you want to do in life. Hard work always pays off and that doesn’t just relate to sports and the sporting world.”

Throughout her 18 years of training, she has undergone six operations and has overcome many obstacles.

She overcame an injury in the last few years to win a Silver medal at the Rio Olympic Games this year.

“When I won that medal, it felt just as good as a gold medal because if someone asked me six months before… if I was going to be at the Olympic Games, I probably would have said no, and that’s the honest truth.”

Future goals

Valerie has taken on the role of Pacific Sports Ambassador alongside her busy schedule as an athlete. So retirement is not on the cards for her just yet.

“My next biggest goal is the Commonwealth Games held on the Gold Coast in Australia in 2018,“ she said.

If she wins, she will go on to her fifth Olympic games held in Tokyo in 2020, however, she says it will depend whether her body will be up for the challenge.

“I think my mind wouldn’t be the issue, I think it would be more my body, that my body wouldn’t be able to handle it, but that’s my goal for the time being so I haven’t retired.”

Tongan Background

Valerie who speaks fluent Tongan, is very proud of her Tongan heritage.

“My mum was Tongan and she always spoke Tongan at home. She never ever spoke English. We’d ask my mum a question in English and she’ll be like [looks away] and then not answer you until you spoke in Tongan.”

“I’m very very grateful for the fact that I do speak Tongan, and the thing is the only time I get to practice Tongan is probably when I am in Tonga or if I see my family in New Zealand.”

Valerie also speaks French.

“I live in Switzerland and juggling three languages sometimes can get a bit confusing in the old brain, so when I go to Switzerland I get immersed into the French language. When I come back to New Zealand it takes me about a couple of weeks to immerse back into the English language and then coming here, I’ve really had to prepare some speeches or some remarks I’ve had to make.”

Valerie addressed a reception in Tongan, at the New Zealand High Commissioner's Residence on Monday night, for the Women's sevens team and other sports people.

“It’s very very important for me to try my very best to upkeep my culture, even when I’m away from Tonga. It’s not always easy but I’m a true Tongan person at heart and I love my culture. I love being from Houma because we rock, we’re the most strongest, most prettiest people in the islands! Did you get that? Haha!"