Loss of budding athlete
A young athlete with huge promise has died, leaving family, friends and supporters with immense sadness and a perpetual wondering of just how far she would have gone.
Jayda Akuhata-Brown only turned 14 last Tuesday, yet she had already represented New Zealand in two sports and wanted to be the next Dame Valerie Adams.
Jayda died at her home in Wairoa, Hawke’s Bay, of suspected medical causes on Saturday.
The youngest of four children, she moved to Wairoa with her family two years ago, after having spent most of her life in Brisbane.
Her mother, Donna Rowe, said Jayda was a determined, driven girl who wanted to achieve.
She had competed in shot put, javelin and discus and was also an accomplished basketball player.
In March, she competed at the East Coast secondary schools’ track and field championships, setting new junior girls’ records in all three events.
She followed that up with second placings in those events at the North Island secondary schools’ competition a few weeks later.
‘‘She wanted to be like Valerie Adams. Valerie Adams was her idol. She got to meet her when the Commonwealth Games team was training in Hawke’s Bay earlier this year,’’ Rowe said.
In December last year, Jayda was a member of the New Zealand children’s athletics squad that competed in Adelaide.
‘‘A shoulder injury meant she did not achieve as much as she’d wanted, and she was a bit disappointed in
herself but she loved the experience,’’ her mum said.
Jayda also excelled at basketball and in July last year she played in a Las Vegas tournament for the New Zealand Basketball Academy’s under-14 team.
Jayda had been attending Hastings Girls’ High School this year and was on track to pursue a career as a professional athlete.
‘‘We were building up to go to the national secondary schools event in Dunedin at the end of November,’’ Rowe said.
‘‘That’s where she was hoping to cement her place in the top group.’’
She described her daughter was ‘‘a happy girl with a strong desire to pursue whatever it was she put her mind to’’.
‘‘She had a quirky sense of humour, a humble cheekiness and an infectious smile. That’s something everyone is remembering about her – her infectious smile,’’ Rowe said.
‘‘Losing her has not really sunk in yet. She achieved so much and touched so many people in her life.’’
Jayda had suffered from epilepsy since she was 8, and although she had not had a seizure for some years, it is thought she may have had one while showering, possibly hitting her head in a fall.
Her death is being investigated by a coroner.
Sport Hawke’s Bay talent development project co-ordinator Marcus Agnew said Jayda was ‘‘earmarked as being one of the most talented and promising young athletes in the region with a natural ability and desire to succeed across all sports’’.
‘‘She was a wonderful young girl who was pursuing her dreams and this is a real tragedy,’’ he said.
A celebration of Jayda’s life will be held at Wairoa’s War Memorial Hall at 1pm tomorrow.