Page 12 - Single Scull News Today

This is it. pita is moments away from making his kayak debut here in hungary. its crazy hot today. there is a bit of a breeze, which wont make conditions easy but i think hes just excited to finally get going. next up is heat five of the mens k1200 metres and it looks as though pita taufatofua of tonga is struggling out in lane eight. six are in position, tonga not quite, but away they go. stefanovic of serbia has parried out at the start —— hasa —— has a powered out at into the lead. so...

Well against him at the canoeing continental qualifier, where only the winner would reach tokyo 2020. taufatofua is fighting back. its just not going to be enough. the cook islands will take the olympic place. the tongans will have to try again later in the year. a brutal schedule meant that less than two weeks later, pita was next on australias gold coast for tae kwon dos continental qualifier, again, only victory would do. taufatofua just needs to close this one out. that is it. an incredible ...

The world and achieved what he has. his mission to inspire is not overjust yet. incredibly, after two different sports at two different olympics, he is now targeting tokyo 2020. my dream for tokyo 2020 is condemning, something that —— my dream for tokyo 2020 is canooing, something that is aligned with no history as a polynesian. i want to be the first olympian in the modern era to qualify in three unrelated olympian sports, and so i thought, tae kwon do is my sport but i love being on the wa...

Welcome to southern hungary for the 2019 canoe sprint world championships. we are all set for whats likely to be a scorching few days of action. to reach the olympics, pita needs to progress not only through the heats and the semifinals but reach the final and finish in the top five. realistically, thats going to be pretty tough in his debut, so hes hoping effectively just to finish without falling in. you can do a bit of swimming, i hear. ive been swimming nonstop since i got in these things. i...

After a heavy block of training, pita is making progress both on the mat and in the water. days before two crucial olympic qualifiers, he broke a rib and suffered muscle damage. so the odds were stacked well against him at the canoeing continental qualifier, where only the winner would reach tokyo 2020. taufatofua is fighting back. its just not going to be enough. the cook islands will take the olympic place. the tongans will have to try again later in the year. a brutal schedule meant that less...

That meant a rather busy week for an international kayaker turned coach. no, no. i mean, sorry. in hungary, you are a smaller kid. when you start. afterwards, you have a long time — ten years to catch up but you already have coordination from the other sports and you also have muscles to speed up. you just need to learn it in a shorter way, to make it the harder way, for sure. i think he expected it to be tough but the good thing is he never gave up. in six days, he improved a lot. it was quit...

I mean, sorry. in hungary, you are a smaller kid. afterwards, you have a long time — ten years to catch up but you already have coordination from the other sports and you also have muscles to speed up. you just need to learn it in a shorter way, to make it the harder way, for sure. i think he expected it to be tough but the good thing is he never gave up. in six days, he improved a lot. it was quite surprising. im impressed. good improvement today. i think everybody needs to see him. i grew a ...

About the spirit when you play tae kwon do. tae kwon do is in my blood, i have been doing it since i was five years old. it never leaves you. i may not have had a kick in two years but the body remembers and the spirit remembers and its a place i need to be. so tokyo 2020, who knows whats going to happen? after a heavy block of training, pita is making progress both on the mat and in the water. days before two crucial olympic qualifiers, he broke a rib and suffered muscle damage. so the odds wer...

And the love of the polynesian people is. we havent even scratched the surface yet. hes come from this to two olympic games. it proves just whats possible, doesnt it? absolutely. theres nothing ive done that anyone cant do with the right mindset and the right self belief. my focus is on making sure that we get him there. previously, it was about becoming an olympian. now, i want to bring back a medalfor tonga. by pitas own admission, qualifying for the olympics in canoeing is his biggest challen...

In the middle of the staggering collapse of the global sporting calendar in recent weeks, the tokyo games is the last one to fall. the rescheduled games will now start on the 23rd of july, 2021. the world has changed. how is life for you at the moment and hows your family in tonga? theyre doing really good. tonga is one of the few countries in the world that recorded zero cases of covid throughout this whole ordeal. ifeel very happy, not for covid but the fact that we now have an extra year to g...