Oswald Tapelu recently attended the Taekwondo Oceania Tournament in French Polynesia (Tahiti) winning a bronze medal in a division beyond his grade. Oswald shares his story and remarkable success over the years.

I am 24 years of age. I was introduced to Taekwondo from the young age of eight and my love for this type of martial arts grew as time went on. My interest in the sport gathered momentum, which led me to my first national tournament at the age of 10. Further tournaments spanning the Oceania region followed. From there, my experience in the sport continued into higher levels. Hard work and commitment resulted in my selection for the New Zealand team at the 2016 Oceania Tournament that was hosted by Fiji.

Personally, the highlight of that tournament was competing against a world-ranked Australian player. Even though I did not win, the experience gained was exceptional.

Between 2018 and 2020, many tournaments were cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. However, as the pandemic began to shift and Covid-19 lock downs were no longer in place, in 2021 I started training hard, making it over to this year’s Taekwondo Oceania Tournament in French Polynesia (Tahiti).

Although I should have competed as a middle weight in this tournament, I gave the heavy weight division a go. By giving everything I had, and with the grace of God, I won the bronze medal for my home country of Samoa. Being the only person to represent Samoa at this level for Taekwondo was a humbling experience and a great honour that I will cherish forever in my heart.

My goals and aspirations in the near future are:

1. To get better in the sport and hopefully to represent Samoa in the 2023 Pacific Games that will be hosted by the Solomon Islands.

2. To gain entry into the Samoan team for the 2024 Olympic Games in France.

The table below includes the competitions I’ve attended and my results:

I give glory back to God. Everything I am and have achieved today is because of Him. Everything I do is FOR Him.