Triple win for 17-year-old Olympic hopeful at Victoria’s sports awards

A first-year Marine Biology student and star swimmer from American Samoa has won Sportsperson of the Year at Victoria University of Wellington’s annual sports awards.

 

In addition to the top award, 17-year-old Tilali Scanlon won Pasifika Sportsperson of the Year and a Blues Award that recognises her international achievements in swimming.
 

Sporting success is not new to Tilali who was 11 years old when she competed in her first international competition at the South Pacific Games. At 15, she competed in the 2015 Pacific Games, followed by the 2016 FINA World Swimming Championships (25m) in Canada. In July, she achieved five personal bests at the FINA World Aquatics Championships in Hungary.

 

Tilali, who comes from Vaitogi on the main island of Tutuila, is one of the few swimmers born and bred in American Samoa to represent the island nation at an international level, and says she is often the youngest competitor by several years.

 

Her specialty is the 50m and 100m breaststroke. 

 

Despite her impressive record, Tilali was surprised to win at the Blues Awards. “I came to the ceremony late because I had training. I just came to listen and was shocked when they called my name as a winner.”

 

Growing up in American Samoa, Tilali says she didn’t have the same resources as most competitors.

 

“We don’t have a public pool so I trained at the beach instead. It’s really different swimming in the sea, but I would swim against the current to build up strength and for conditioning training. My family also fundraised so I could go to Hawai’i three times to train in a three-month swimming programme where I could train in a pool with a proper team and with great coaches”.

 

While she says it is hard at times to balance study with swimming, she’s determined to complete her Bachelor’s degree and keep training in hope of qualifying for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

 

“I want to represent my country, and my culture, and do it for everyone who knows me back home. It’s a big responsibility, but I love it.”

 

The University’s Pasifika community had extra reason to celebrate during the Blues Awards as three Samoan students were recognised for their sporting success.

 

• Joanah Ngan-Woo was selected for the Black Ferns training squad and was on stand-by for this year’s Women’s Rugby World Cup. She plays for the Wellington Women’s Pride team and the Oriental Rongotai Premier Women’s team.

 

• Emilina Motu captained the Capital Swish team that placed third in the National Women’s Basketball Championships and plays in the Victoria University Women’s Premier Basketball team.

 

• Monica Tagoai was selected for the Black Ferns Sevens Development Squad and played in the New Zealand University Sevens and Wellington Sevens teams.

 

Assistant Vice-Chancellor (Pasifika) Hon. Luamanuvao Winnie Laban says it was great to see Pasifika students well represented in the line-up of award-winners. 

 

“These four Pasifika women are an inspiration to their peers. High levels of success can be achieved both academically and in sport. This can be gained through goal setting, effective time management and hard work. It is important for Pasifika students to demonstrate the courage to aim for the top both in sport and university.”

 

- Victoria University