| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nationality |  Fiji | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | November 14, 1944 Bua, Fiji | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Athletics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Event(s) | 400 metres (qualified, injured) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| University team | Brigham Young University Cougars | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | Team Fiji | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coached by | Clarence Robison [1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Updated on 22 September 2023 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Saimoni Tamani (born 14 November 1944) is a Fijian former athlete who specialized in running the 400 metres (400-meter dash).
Tamani was a track star at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. [2]
Tamani won a gold medal in the 1966 South Pacific Games in Noumea. He won three gold medals at the 1969 South Pacific Games in Port Moresby. At the 1970 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, Tamani won the bronze medal in the 400 metres with a time of 45.82 seconds. [3] It was Fiji's first medal in athletics at the Commonwealth Games since 1950. He was slated to compete at the 1972 Summer Olympics [4] in Munich, West Germany, but suffered a foot injury during the NCAA indoor track season. [5]
In 1973 he moved to the United States, where he worked at a paper mill in Longview, Washington, retiring after 30 years. [6] [7]
He was inducted into the Fiji Sports Hall of Fame in 1991. [8] [9]
Tamani is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. [10]
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Representing Fiji | |||||
| 1966 | South Pacific Games | Nouméa, New Caledonia | 1st | 4x400 m relay | 3:24.08 min |
| 1969 | South Pacific Games | Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea | 1st | 400 m | 48.8 s |
| 1st | 800 m | 1:57.3 min | |||
| 1st | 4x400 m relay | 3:19.6 min | |||
| 1970 | 1970 Edinburgh | Edinburgh, Scotland | 3rd | 400 m | 45.82 s |
Krešimir "Krešo" Ćosić was a Croatian professional basketball player and coach. He was a collegiate All-American at Brigham Young University. He revolutionized basketball in Yugoslavia and was the first basketball player in the world to play all five positions.
Alma Wilford Richards was an American athlete. He was the first resident of Utah to win a gold medal at the Olympic Games, in 1912, in the running high jump event.
Douglas Padilla is a former middle and long distance runner from the United States, who won the overall Grand Prix 1985 and the World Cup 5000m race in 1985. He finished fifth in the 5000m final at the 1983 World Championships in Athletics in Helsinki, and seventh in the 5000m final at the 1984 Summer Olympics. In the 1983 World Championships 5,000-metre final, Padilla was among the favourites, but he succumbed to the radically accelerating pace of top runners, such as Ireland's Eamonn Coghlan, East Germany's Werner Schildhauer and Finland's Martti Vainio, during the last lap. He lost to the winner, Coghlan, by 3.55 seconds, but managed to defeat another unlucky favourite, West Germany's Thomas Wessinghage, by 0.38 seconds. By contrast, the fast 1984 Olympic 5,000-metre final was tough for Padilla already after 3,000 metres, and he painstakingly defeated New Zealand's John Walker who finished eighth. He was ranked number 1 in the world in 1983 for the 3000-meter distance.
L. Jay Silvester and participated in college athletics at Utah State University from 1956 to 1959 is an American retired athlete who mainly competed in the discus throw. In this event he finished in fourth, fifth, second and eighth place at the 1964, 1968, 1972 and 1976 Summer Olympics, respectively, and won a bronze medal at the 1975 Pan American Games.
The Fiji Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee (FASANOC) was founded on 25 March 1949 and achieved International Olympic Committee (IOC) recognition on 20 September 1955. It is responsible for entering Fiji's representatives in the Olympic Games and the coordination and management of Fiji Teams to the South Pacific Mini Games, South Pacific Games and the Commonwealth Games. It also provides technical assistance and funding to its affiliates in the areas of coaching, athlete development, sports medicine and sports administration.
Henry Dinwoodey Marsh is a retired runner from the United States, who made four U.S. Olympic teams and represented his native country in the men's 3,000 meter Steeplechase in three Summer Olympics, from 1976 through 1988.
Usaia Naiteitei Sotutu is a former runner who represented Fiji at the 1972 Summer Olympics.
Niklas Bo Arrhenius is an American-Swedish track and field athlete who competes and coaches in the discus throw and shot put. He represented Sweden in the discus at 2008 Summer Olympics, was a four-time competitor at the World Athletics Championships, and competed at five consecutive editions of the European Athletics Championships from 2006 to 2016. At the Swedish Athletics Championships he won seven national titles in discus, and was an eight-time champion in the shot put.
Clarence Franklin Robison was a track athlete and coach at Brigham Young University (BYU). As a collegiate runner, Robison competed in the 880, one-mile, and two-mile, setting conference records in the latter two events. Robison put his track career on hold to enlist in the U.S. Navy during World War II and served for three years.
Walter Creed Haymond was an American track and field athlete.
Elbert Jay Lambert was an American amateur and professional boxer, medical doctor and general surgeon in Salt Lake City, Utah. He was the 1948 U.S. Olympic Trials Champion and represented the United States as a heavy weight in the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, England. He fought professionally from 1948 to 1950 before leaving the sport to pursue a career in medicine.
Doral William Pilling was a Canadian athlete who competed in the 1928 Summer Olympics.
Jackson S. Horsley is an American former competition swimmer and Olympic medalist. He represented the United States as a 17-year-old at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, where he won a bronze medal in the 200-meter backstroke, finishing behind East German Roland Matthes and fellow American Mitch Ivey.
Jovesa Seuseu "Jojo" Naivalu is a Fiji-American athlete. In the sport of athletics, Naivalu is the Fiji national record holder in both the 110 metres hurdles and the 400 metres hurdles. He represented Fiji at the 1996 Summer Olympics and the 1996 World Junior Championships in Athletics in the 110 metres hurdles.
Lelei Alofa Fonoimoana, also known by her married name Lelei Moore, is an American former swimmer who competed in the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec.
Canagasabai Kunalan, known as C. Kunalan, is a retired Singaporean sprinter, relay runner, former footballer and educator, widely regarded as one of Singapore's greatest ever athletes. Named Sportsman of the Year in both 1968 and 1969, his feat of 10.38 seconds in the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games 100 metres was a national record that stood for 33 years.
Leif Hilding Arrhenius is a professional American-Swedish athlete competing in the shot put and discus throw. He represented Team Sweden at two World and three European Championships. In addition, he is the 2011 U.S. Collegiate Indoor Champion.
Richard Lloyd George is an American former javelin thrower. He represented the United States at the 1976 Summer Olympics.
Melbourne Dale Schofield was an American hurdler. He competed in the men's 400 metres hurdles at the 1936 Summer Olympics.
 | This biographical article relating to Fijian athletics is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
