Tinai, Senokonoko ‘lucky’

Team Fiji athlete Elenani Tinai is grateful for being given the opportunity to study and train in the United States. Tinai was awarded an Oceania Australia Foundation scholarship while Miriama Senokonoko was offered a full scholarship by a US college.

Tinai will be studying at the Southwestern Community College in Iowa and joins Albert Miller who left earlier this year.

Other athletes that have been to Southwestern Community College include Sisilia Seavula and Younis Bese.

“This means I can’t only improve with my times because of competition but I can also concentrate on my studies.”

Tinai was grateful to her family, coaches, Athletics Fiji, Fiji Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee (FASANOC) Oceania National Olympic Committee (ONOC) and the Oceania Australia Foundation for their support in her athletics and academic career.

“I just have to prove that I deserve this scholarship,” she said. Senokonoko has secured a full scholarship offered directly to her from Limtestone College in South Carolina, USA.

She was fortunate to be returning for further studies in the USA after graduating from the New Mexico Military Institute in 2015.

“I’m very lucky to get another chance to continue my studies and for that I am grateful,” she said. FASANOC chief executive Lorraine Mar said it was important for both athletes to do well not only in athletics but also academically. “The academic side is just as important as your athletics because should you not do well academically this could mean you will not be allowed to participate in sports,” she said.

Both girls were advised that the scholarship was as much about education as it was about athletics and they were encouraged to give both equal attention.

The girls were also encouraged to keep in contact with Athletics Fiji with reports on their participation in competitions and their results, as they should be vying for selection for the 2019 Pacific Games in July - FASANOC