FIJI Sportswoman of the Year Moana Wind is aiming for a spot for Swimming Fiji team to the Olympics.
The Saint Joseph’s Secondary School student has been training in New Zealand for the past months as she prepares for the qualifiers.
“My training is fine – more intense and harder but at the end of the day it’s what’s best for me,” she said.
“My aim is to push myself out of my comfort zone and continue training harder every day to get to greater heights, meaning representing my country at the Olympic Games.
“I would say my biggest challenge is being away from home and in training in a whole country, especially since this is my first time training overseas and being away for this amount of time (6 months).
“I have a very supportive family when it comes to my swimming career. They’ve always supported what I do, right from day one. My mum, Kaye Lepper, is my biggest supporter and she’s always been the one person who believed in me no matter what.
“I’m grateful to her, my Coach, Ester Malani, and my team manager, Millicent Kado, for being the three women who’ve inspired me and pushed me to be the person I am today.”
Speaking from New Zealand Wind says training in a new facility has made an impact in her training.
“I would say, the only difference to the facilities here compared to back home, is the pool. Back home the pool is outdoor, whereas here, in Dunedin, it’s indoors so that there are no weather interruptions because it can get quite cold here.
“But at the end of the day it’s really not about the facilities you have, it’s about the training and how far you’re willing to push yourself. Even though, special facilities can help improve one’s performance, at the end of the day, it’s the determination and drive of the athlete that makes him/her different from the others.”
