Dolphine trio set for AIMS swimming debut
Dolphin Swimming Club trio Ki’eli Solomona Leqa, Henry Tabua and Joseph Ah-Sam will become the first swimmers from Fiji to compete at the Zespri AIMS Games in Tauranga Moana.
The three young swimmers, who attend Stella Maris Primary School in Suva, will line up in the 50m and 100m events at the intermediate-aged tournament.
For two of them, the trip will also be their first time on a plane and their first time outside Fiji.
School swimming coordinator Joeli Leqa said swimming was an essential life skill, particularly for children growing up on the islands.
“We need to be able to swim,” Leqa said. “You’d be surprised how many Fijian kids don’t know how to swim. We really hope Stella Maris attending AIMS inspires other kids to go swimming.”
Leqa said competing at the AIMS Games was a new experience for the team, and the boys were both nervous and excited.
“Two of our swimmers will be flying for the first time and travelling outside Fiji for the first time as well,” he said.
Ki’eli Solomona Leqa, 12, is set to compete in the 100m butterfly and may contest other events. After just 18 months in the pool, Ki’eli recently won five national titles as well as relay honours.
He will be joined by close teammate Henry Tabua, who will compete in the 100m breastroke.
Tabua’s journey has closely mirrored his own.
The pair were born in the same hospital in Samoa just a month apart, share Samoan and Fijian heritage, and after moving to Fiji, ended up in the same class, school and swim squad.
Completing the trior is Stella Maris school head boy Joseph Ah-Sam, who will race in the 50m freestyle and who has never been on a plane.
Ah-Sam comes from a strong sporting family: his mother and sisters have represented Fiji in netball, while his aunty has represented Fiji in rugby.
The trio has been training about 13 hours a week in the pool, alongside two hours in the gym, in preparation for AIMS.
Their training has not always been easy. Fiji’s only 50m pool is not heated or covered, and morning sessions were cancelled in July when temperatures dropped to about 20C.
Despite being faced with the recent weather setback in their trainings, their preparations are going well. Other than such freezing temps, only lightning stops training.
The team travelled to Tauranga with Ke’ili’s parents and are currently competing.
