Samoan Club KLAS Taekwondo Eyes Multiple Golds at NZ Nationals

By Loveni Enari

Feel like a dose of Samoan pride this weekend?  There’s a club team from Samoa looking to win at least four gold medals at the National Taekwondo championships in Kohimarama (19-20 Aug 2023).

The Barfoot and Thompson Stadium is hosting the tournament and Samoan club KLAS Taekwondo have arrived with big expectations.

According to the head coach Leuluaitumua Tapunuu Kaino Thomsen-Fuataga, anything less than four golds will be a disappointment.

Thomsen-Fuataga, himself a former Olympian and Oceania gold medalist, and current head coach of the Samoa national team:  "If we don’t get at least four golds we won’t be happy".

"We've got four national team members here who will be aiming to take out gold and I’m well aware of the level of competition they’ll be facing" he said from their base at Ngati Otara marae.

Those four members are Oswald Tapelu (-68kg), Ryan Eteuati (-74kg), Irae Mose Simi, (87kg+), and the only female from the national team, Tovale Filipo (-57kg) category.

Eteuati is in the unique situation of being young enough to compete in the Junior section but good enough to be competing with the Seniors as well so could win two medals.

"The exposure and experience gained is all important but we’re here to do our best and compete as best we can in all the categories."

"We’ve been preparing them for a while and there’s no space for fear."

Those national team members apart, there are another 13 competitors competing for the club including a six year old. The action will be fast and furious.

The Samoan club also boasts the Tongan female Luisa Fulivai.

The sport has grown considerably in recent years and Thomsen-Fuataga puts it down to Pacific Islanders natural ability in combat sports.

"There’s more awareness out there now that rugby is not the only option for our athletes."

"Taekwondo is a contact, physical and combat sport and Pacific Islanders are naturally very strong at combat sports."

The coach said he’d had no real fear of competitors letting their appetites for New Zealand fast food get the better of them in the lead up to the competition.

"None of them would do that as they know it would mean extra suffering at training," he laughed.

The tournament is key in the lead up to the 2023 Pacific Games in the Solomon Islands in November but another tournament in that lead up would be ideal for their preparation.

Despite the real need for such preparatory competitions, as usual for our athletes, participation is never a given. That is dependent on sponsorship, fund-raising and support from families and local businesses. 

"All the participants had to put in for their own fares but sponsors and a walkathon we had prior to the trip have all helped," said Thomsen-Fuataga.

"The team is raring to go," says the coach, so if you’re at a loose end at the weekend and feel like some fight club action and the Samoan flag flying high and proud over the podium, Kohimarama is the place to be.

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