Our sports men and women have now all returned from the biggest Pacific Games ever after a spectacular closing ceremony at Apia Park Saturday.
As teams returned home there were celebrations and thanksgiving services to welcome them back.
The gold winning basketball team was honored at a service at Manumalo last Thursday and on Saturday evening, friends, family and the tennis faithful gathered at Sadie’s By The Sea to honor American Samoa’s medal winning team.
The team took home the bronze medal in team play and three more bronze medals in the individual competition. The four medals from tennis constituted almost a third of the total medals won by all of our teams at the Pacific Games.
Each member of the team was born and raised in American Samoa and began their tennis careers under the coaching supervision of many former medal winners.
Several former Pacific Games medal winners were in the audience Saturday to congratulate the winners and inspire the next generation of champions.
Our medal tally from the 16th Pacific Games is 13: 1 gold, 5 silver and 7 bronze.
Our gold came from women’s basketball. two silver from Tanu Jungblut in weightlifting, and one each from Tilali Scanlan in swimming, Jolando Taala in boxing, and Nuuausala Tuilefano in shot putting.
Our bronze medals tally: four bronze medals came from our tennis players, Charity Sagiao, Kalani Soli and Christian Duchnak, one from boxer Rileyyanzac Tuala, one from Tilali Scanlan, and one from our women’s beach volleyball team, Deveney Pulu and Litara Keil.
New Caledonia topped the medal tally with 182, followed by PNG with 130 and Samoa with 125 medals placed 3rd.
