Six athletes bound for Tokyo Olympics [1]
Friday, June 25, 2021 - 22:41. Updated on Thursday, July 15, 2021 - 14:34.
By Eleanor Gee
Six athletes, including USA based weightlifter, Kuinini Manumu’a, will represent Tonga at the Tokyo Olympics next month.
TASANOC Secretary General Takitoa Taumoepeau told Matangi Tonga they received the good news this morning confirming a spot for weightlifting which goes to Kuinini Manumu’a.
Earlier this week, there were various media and social media reports stating Kuinini was denied a place to the Olympics due to being bumped down the qualification list by a transgender weightlifter, Laurel Hubbard, who qualified in New Zealand’s women’s weightlifting team for Tokyo at a recent event.
The athletes representing Tonga at the Olympics are:
- Taekwondo: Malia Paseka - Women's 67kg
- Taekwondo: Pita Taufatofua - Men's +80kg
- Swimming: Amini Fonua - Men's 100m Breaststroke
- Swimming: Noelani Day - Women's 50m Free style
- Athletics: Ronald Fotofili - Men's 100m sprint
- Weightlifting: Kuinini Manumu’a - Women's +87kg
Only Malia and Ronald are based in Tonga currently while the rest are based overseas. Pita is training in Australia, Amini is in the US, and Noelani (who resides in Tonga) is training in Thailand.
This is the first Olympics for Malia, Noelani, Ronald, and Kuinini, while Amini will attend his third Olympics having attended the games in London 2012, and in Rio 2016.
Pita will attend his third consecutive Olympics having represented Tonga in Taekwondo in Rio in 2016, and in cross country skilling in the winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea in 2018.
The Tokyo Olympic Games runs from 23 July to 8 August in Tokyo, Japan.