 Tuicakau at the 1950 British Empire Games | |
| Sport | |
|---|---|
| Sport | Athletics |
Event(s) | Shot put, discus throw |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personal best | SP – 15.48 m (1951) [1] |
Medal record | |
Mataika Tuicakau was a Fijian track and field athlete who competed in the shot put and discus throw events.
Born on Tovu, Totoya on the Lau Islands of Fiji, Tuicakau was a tall athlete who excelled at throwing events. [2] He was the first Fijian to have success internationally in the sport of athletics. [3] [4] At the 1950 British Empire Games he threw 14.64 m (48 ft 1⁄4 in) in the shot put to hold off England's Harold Moody and be declared the champion. He also claimed a silver medal in the discus behind Ian Reed of Australia, who broke the games record in the process. [5] [6]
He was the first gold medallist for Fiji at the Commonwealth Games and remains their only athletics winner in the tournament's history. [7] The shot put national record of 15.48 m (50 ft 9+1⁄4 in) he set in Suva in 1951 stood for over 50 years. [8] He was the first entrant into the Fiji Sports Hall of Fame alongside rugby player Josefa Levula. [9]
