TEAM Fiji javelin representative Leslie Copeland has his heart set on making the finals of his event in the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Copeland, who stunned the world in his first Olympics in London in 2012 with a throw of 80 metres and finished in 13th position, had been two spots shy of making the finals.
He hopes this will differ this time around.
“I have always known that I was going to go to the Olympics. I was confident of going and I never lost hope along the way. I never lost faith. Now that I am going, I am very thankful. I am thankful to God that I get to go for the second time around,” he said.
“This time I want to go a step better. I want to get in to the finals because to be in contention of a medal, I need to be in the finals so that’s what I want to do now,” he said.
Copeland admits his life took a new turn four years ago because of his family and the birth of his son.
“My wife and my son are my inspiration now. Now I have somebody to throw for. It’s different when you have a family,” he said.
Having lost his father at a young age, Copeland said it took a whole community to help him succeed.
“I have been fortunate that I have a very big family. I lost my father at a very young age. My family have always been supportive. My mother’s family raised me up and I will never forget my aunty and uncle Josephine and William Sokimi. They took me in during high school and supported me all the way through. For me, most of my strength comes from my family because they have always been there. Without their support, I would have just been in Vatukoula and I don’t know if I would have even come out of that place,” he said.
Competing among the world’s best, Copeland said he had enough experience to get him through his desired outcome.
“James Goulding and I over the years, our knowledge just kept growing when we competed with elite athletes and we got attached to new coaches and I am confident that every year we keep learning new things and we keep getting better. Going to the Olympics, I am confident that I will get into the final. We have worked really hard and I believe deep inside that I can get myself into the final,” he said.
