SAMOA 2019: Australia has added another seven medals to the table on Day 6 of the Samoa 2019 Pacific Game. However medals aside, the real purpose and spirit of the Pacific Games was felt more than ever at yesterday’s medal events.

In the Women’s Sevens, Australia had only conceded one try during the competition by the time they made it to the final against Fiji. However, Fiji had a similar run through the pool stage, quarters and semis, and a tough match was ensured.

Fiji scored and converted first, however Australia quickly responded with a try but missed the kick. The score remained 7-5 for the majority of the match until Fiji slipped another past our defence in the dying minutes to win the gold 14-5.

Australia’s captain Lauren Brow said they were disappointed to miss the gold, but Fiji were a deserving team of the title.

“Fiji are a very good team, we knew this going into it,” Brown said. “It was going to be really physical but we knew we could use our speed to try and penetrate their line, which we did.

“But at the end of the day they were just too good for us. We gave it our best and that’s all we can really ask for.

“I still feels pretty special to have this medal around our necks. I‘m sure all the girls have really enjoyed this experience and to add a silver medal to it is a pinch-yourself moment.”

The Men’s final between Samoa and Fiji was a world-class battle in front of one of the most vocal crowds the Pacific Games has seen, with singing, chanting and dancing spectators hanging over the field barriers.

Fiji were first to score a converted try in the opening minute to take a 7-0 lead. The host nation responded the following minute but were unable to convert, leaving the score at 7-5. With that, Fiji’s men’s and women’s Teams became Pacific Games champions.

When the games were over, emotions were running high and each athlete took time to embrace their rivals and share a prayer.

With the competition over, all athletes took the times to hug their rivals, take selfies and team photos with their competitors and congratulation everyone on their achievements.

Witnessing the relationships between all the medallists in the men’s and women’s tournaments reminded spectators of the power of sport in bringing people together and reinforced the theme behind the Pacific Games: to promote and develop sport in the region, without any barrier of ‘race, colour or politics’.

For Australia’s sevens team in Samoa, the Pacific Games are the first major international event for the majority of the athletes. The Team consists of six players who are contracted to Rugby Australia, and the others are up-and-coming players who have been identified through the new Australian University Sevens program. The Pacific Games were a unique competition they’re unlikely to forget.

“When it comes to sevens, everyone is like a family – you just bond through rugby.” Brown said.

“At the end of the day you put the footy aside and everyone is there for the love of the sport.

“Of course, when we’re on the field we don’t know each other and we want to win, but off the field it’s so cool to mix with the other Pacific Teams and get to know them.

Sailing
After five days of intense racing Laser Radial sailor Paris Van Den Herik will bring home the bronze medal for Australia.

The medal is recognition for what has been a massive learning curve for the 18-year-old.

“I was in second for quite a long time at the start,” Van Den Herik said. “But I had a massive learning experience on day 3 when I was disqualified from a race for a rule I wasn’t clear on.

“It’s normal to have little learning moments now and then in regular competitions, but I learnt like 20 lessons the hard way in one hit this week, but I feel much better prepared for future events.”

Her disqualification on Day 3 added 11 points to her score, knocking her from second to fifth place. She bounced back on Day 4 to come away with two first place finishes, a third and a fourth from Friday’s four races, to put her in third place for the final day.

Van Den Herik finished strong in the medal races, with two thirds to secure the bronze medal overall.

The sailor from Darwin said she had a breakthrough in her mental toughness this week, and that’s partly due to the spirit of the Pacific Games.

“The Pacific Nations just has this beautiful presence. They’re so positive and calm and polite. The Samoans go out of their way to chat with you and to include you.

“You don’t even have this inclusive vibe at Nationals in Australia, where other athletes are closed up and so focused on their own performance they don’t even say ‘hi’. The Pacific nations have a different way of embracing each other.

“There was a really special moment at the end of the last race. After we came in and put out boats on shore, the girls from Fiji, New Caledonia, Tahiti and myself came into this huge group hug and we just started jumping up and down and cheering.

“It was just beautiful, especially for the girl from Tahiti who couldn’t really speak any English. She was included just the same and was just as much a part of it.”

The biggest lesson Van Den Herik has learnt is to make the most of what she’s got.

“These athletes from the Pacific Nations have so much less than us in Australia, but they’re all so positive and happy,” she said.

“There were so many moments in my performance when I was negative or hard on myself, but this week I learnt a lot about resilience and how to bounce back from something negative.

“These athletes just make the most of what they’ve got in their day-to-day lives, and that’s the mentality I want to take into my racing.”

Weightlifting
Aussie weightlifters won five medals on the final day of their competition at Samoa 2019.

Jackson Roberts Young (109kg) won bronze in the snatch (141kg) and clean and jerk (192kg) to win bronze in the Total with 333kg.

Matthew Lydement, who was also in the M109kg division, lifted 156kg to win the snatch silver. He then clean and jerked 175kg, to place sixth, which gave him a Total of 331kg, to place fourth overall.

Ridge Barredo (M96kg) placed 4th in the snatch (139kg) and clean and jerk (175kg), to finish 4th in the Total (314kg).

Charisma Amoe-Tarrant (W+87kg) won snatch bronze with a 2kg Personal Best (109kg). She then placed fourth in the clean and jerk (137kg) to finish fourth overall with a Total of 246kg.

Sunday is a rest day at Samoa 2019 with the second week of competition bringing new sports. Taekwondo and Athletics will kick off their Pacific Games campaigns, while Australia's sailors continue into the second week.

Georgia Thompson
olympics.com.au