Fiji athletics great Samu Yavala has called on today’s athletes to take pride in representing the country.
Speaking at a press conference earlier this week, the Fiji Sports Hall of Fame inductee says there is one major factor that differentiated today’s athlete from those of his time.
“The challenge that they face is almost the same as the ones we faced in terms of athletic competition. But the gut in doing it is not there because they look forward for trips. We did not look for trips; we just looked forward to having fun with our training. We trained as a group and we fought amongst ourselves to be better. After that, we walked out of the stadium as friends. But in competition time, we go for it. Not for the sake of beating the other person but to catch the better time.”
Yavala represented Fiji to three South Pacific Games, setting records in the 200 metres and 400 metres as well as the long jump.
He will be inducted into the Fiji Olympic Order during the 2014 Fiji Sports Hall of Fame dinner at Novotel Hotel in Lami on November 21st.
