Saimoni Tamani

Saimoni Tamani (born 14 November 1944) is a Fijian former athlete who specialized in running the 400 metres.

Saimoni Tamani
Personal information
Nationality Fiji
Born (1944-11-14) November 14, 1944
Bua, Fiji
Sport
SportAthletics
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing  Fiji
(South) Pacific Games
Gold medal – first place1966 Nouméa 4x400 m relay
Gold medal – first place1969 Port Moresby 400 m
Gold medal – first place1969 Port Moresby 800 m
Gold medal – first place1969 Port Moresby 4x400 m relay
Commonwealth Games
Bronze medal – third place1970 Edinburgh 400 m
Updated on 26 April 2013.

Career

Tamani won a gold medal in the 1966 South Pacific Games in Noumea. He won three gold medals at the 1969 South Pacific Games in Port Moresby. At the 1970 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, Tamani won the bronze medal in the 400 metres with a time of 45.82 seconds.[1] It was Fiji's first medal in athletics at the Commonwealth Games since 1950. He was slated to compete at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich but suffered a foot injury during the NCAA indoor track season.[2] He was inducted into the Fiji Sports Hall of Fame in 1991.[3]

Tamani was also a track star at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah.[4] A member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,[5] In 1973 he moved to the United States, where he worked at a paper mill in Longview, Washington, retiring after 30 years.[6]

In 1991 he was inducted into the Fiji Sports Hall of Fame.[7]

Achievements
YearCompetitionVenuePositionEventNotes
Representing  Fiji
1966 South Pacific Games Nouméa, New Caledonia 1st 4x400 m relay 3:24.08 min
1969 South Pacific Games Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea 1st 400 m 48.8 s
1st 800 m 1:57.3 min
1st 4x400 m relay 3:19.6 min
1970 1970 Edinburgh Edinburgh, Scotland 3rd 400 m 45.82 s

References
  1. "Tamani tears up the tracks". Fiji Times. 28 July 2020. Retrieved 26 April 2023 – via PressReader.
  2. Fiji Olympics Committee article on Tamani
  3. "1991 Saimoni Tamani – Athletics". Fiji Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
  4. BYU men's track records list
  5. Church News, January 18, 1992
  6. "Olympic students get a glimpse of Fiji". Fiji Sun. 23 October 2009. Retrieved 26 April 2023.
  7. "Sports Hall of Fame". Fiji Times. 10 September 2018. Retrieved 26 April 2023.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.