Tarona Taafaki has won Tuvalu its first ever Commonwealth Games medal, taking bronze in the women's 75kg boxing division despite losing her only bout of the tournament.
The 20-year-old fell to defeat against India's Lovlina Borgohain on Friday night in Glasgow, with judges unanimously scoring every round against her. Taafaki still claimed a medal because she reached the semi-final via a bye, and with only five entrants in her weight category, Commonwealth Games rules guarantee a bronze medal to each semi-finalist.
Coach and father reacts
Taafaki's coach, who is also her father, Badi Taafaki, told the Press Association the medal meant everything to the people of Tuvalu. "We're one of the smallest nations in the world, so a medal like this is hugely significant," he said. "We have worked so hard to get here. For me as a coach, it's a stepping stone."
Tuvalu, a tiny island nation in the Pacific Ocean, is the fourth-smallest country in the world. Badi Taafaki said boxing barely existed there when he was growing up. "We didn't have gloves, so we were forced to fight bare-knuckle, and hit bags filled with sand," he said.
Training on the runway
Athletes on the island train on the airport runway, since it is the most stable stretch of land amid the effects of climate change. "Yes, we train on the airport runway," Badi Taafaki said. "When a plane comes in, everyone moves aside. As soon as it leaves, we go back on the tarmac, because there is nowhere else to train."
He said winning medals could help more people around the world recognise Tuvalu and understand the challenges the country faces because of climate change. "It is very real for us. The coastal erosion is unbelievable, and the countdown is now measured in years, not decades," he said. "Some islands have lost half their land. At high tide the sea comes right through. People living on the coast can't sleep if there's a storm, because the waves can come straight through their homes."
Not the first such medal
Taafaki is not the first boxer to win a Commonwealth Games medal without winning a fight. Australia's Taylah Robertson won bronze in the women's flyweight category in 2018 despite losing her bout to England's Lisa Whiteside.
Taafaki's opponent, Borgohain, will now face Emma-Sue Greentree of Australia in the final.
