by Seraphina Aupong – EM TV, Port Moresby
Sending athletes to the Pacific Games obviously requires a lot of preparation. For one athlete in this year’s Pacific Games, his journey to the games is a different story.
Representing Tokelau in squash, this lone athlete is playing for much more than a medal.
Sam Iasona is not your typical squash player. He first picked up a squash racquet 2 years ago when he was asked to step in for an absent player.After that first game he was hooked.
“As soon as I got home I went online and bought a racquet. I haven’t looked backed since,” Sam says in an interview after his first match at the 2015 Pacific Games in Port Moresby.
He says he loves the competiveness in the sports, “It’s just you and that one player, and it’s all on you. If you play really well or not, you cannot hide among a team.”
And during his first match this afternoon there was nowhere for him to hide. Going up against a more experienced New Caledonia opponent, the different levels of their experience showed.
While he can feel the pressure of being the lone athlete in the games, he says there has been overwhelming support from home and from people around the Pacific who have heard his story.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=bkKj5EYmmw8%3Ffeature%3Doembed%26wmode%3Dopaque%26showinfo%3D0%26showsearch%3D0%26rel%3D0
