Saimoni Tamani
Fijian athletics competitor
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Saimoni Tamani (born 14 November 1944) is a Fijian former athlete who specialized in running the 400 metres (400-meter dash).
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nationality |  Fiji | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | November 14, 1944 Bua, Fiji | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Athletics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Event(s) | 400 metres (qualified, injured) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| University team | Brigham Young University Cougars | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Team | Team Fiji | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coached by | Clarence Robison[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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| Updated on 22 September 2023 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
College years
Tamani was a track star at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah.[2]
Running/Sprinting career
Tamani won a gold medal in the 1966 South Pacific Games in Noumea. He won three gold medals at the 1969 South Pacific Games in Port Moresby. At the 1970 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, Tamani won the bronze medal in the 400 metres with a time of 45.82 seconds.[3] It was Fiji's first medal in athletics at the Commonwealth Games since 1950. He was slated to compete at the 1972 Summer Olympics[4] in Munich, West Germany, but suffered a foot injury during the NCAA indoor track season.[5]
Post running career
In 1973 he moved to the United States, where he worked at a paper mill in Longview, Washington, retiring after 30 years.[6][7]
He was inducted into the Fiji Sports Hall of Fame in 1991.[8][9]
Personal life
Tamani is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.[10]
Achievements
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Representing Fiji | |||||
| 1966 | South Pacific Games | Nouméa, New Caledonia | 1st | 4x400 m relay | 3:24.08 min |
| 1969 | South Pacific Games | Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea | 1st | 400 m | 48.8 s |
| 1st | 800 m | 1:57.3 min | |||
| 1st | 4x400 m relay | 3:19.6 min | |||
| 1970 | 1970 Edinburgh | Edinburgh, Scotland | 3rd | 400 m | 45.82 s |
