INTERVIEW

HPK swim star

LIFE IN HER STRIDE, GOLD IN HER STROKE

With her feet back on terra firma after this year’s Paralympics, Tupou Neiufi, spoke with JON RAWLINSON about her gold medalwinning effort and her long, hard road to Tokyo. Tupou Neiufi, spoke with JON RAWLINSON about her gold medalwinning effort and her long, hard road to Tokyo.

Tupou Neiufi at NZ Open Swimming Championships 2016 (above). Tupou Neiufi at the Tokyo 2021 Paralympics with her gold Championships 2016 (above). Tupou Neiufi at the Tokyo 2021 Paralympics with her gold medal. medal. Photo Simon Watts, BW Media (above)/image supplied

Life has its highs and lows, with challenges at every turn; that’s especially true for athletes, even more so for those who also live with disabilities.

“There were so many ups and downs [in the lead up] to the Paralympics. I was hoping for bronze, but I definitely wasn’t thinking I’d win gold,” Tupou Neiufi says. “As soon as I touched the wall I was confused about what had happened; the fatigue had hit me. I saw my block lit up, so I knew I’d made the podium, but I was so shocked and emotional when I looked up at the screen and realised I had won.”

The lack of heats in Tupou’s backstroke event in Tokyo saw her peak at the perfect time. Days later, she finished fifth in 50-metre freestyle.

“It was a first for me to go straight into a final [at either the Paralympics or Commonwealth Games]. I was happy about it because it meant less stress and I could just focus all my energy. I prefer backstroke because it’s the only event I’m good at!” she laughs. “I wasn’t even sure I’d make the [freestyle] final, so it was happy with how I went.”

Originally from Mangere East, Tupou cut her teeth in the pool with Howick Pakuranga Swim Club.

“I started competitive swimming at Howick Pakuranga and I was there from 2010 right up until last year. Everyone at HPK still supports me, even though I’ve moved on [to Pukekohe Swimming Club]; they’ve been amazing and helped shaped me into the athlete I am today.” Postponement of the Paralympics and lockdowns hampered this tenacious swimmer’s preparations, mentally and physically. And yet, rough going – both in and out of the pool – is nothing new to Tupou.

“I had been on a rollercoaster ride ever since Rio [2016 Paralympic Games]. The Comm’ Games (2018) was a nightmare because [expectations] were higher. I went downhill then – it was one of my worst competitions – but it motivated me for the World Champs, where I won silver, and that became great incentive for Tokyo.”

Further incentive came from her coach, Sheldon Kemp, and her teammate, the indomitable Sophie Pascoe, who has a record haul of 15 Paralympic medals, including 11 gold. Asked if they [Kemp and Pascoe] were the ‘water beneath her fins’, Tupou laughs.

“I guess so! Sophie was yelling and screaming in the crowd for me [during the backstroke final]. She is inspirational, such a strong swimmer who dominates so many events. As for Sheldon, I’ve stuck with him since I was about 12. He saw me swimming and was intrigued about how I swim with my disability. He started looking into my disability and it went from there. Honestly, I couldn’t ask for a better coach.”

Tupou sustained a brain injury when hit by a car as a child; a consequence of this is hemiplegia, a condition causing weakness in her left side.

“I’ve never really known any different because I was so young when it happened. I can still move around and walk okay, but it is really restrictive.”

From a sporting family, she played netball as a youngster before shifting focus to the pool, aged 10. Before leaving high school, Tupou was already on course for her first Paralympic Games.

“My mum [Lose] played netball for Tonga so I tried playing that too. Because of my disability, it became a struggle. My physio then suggested I try swimming. Although I was a bit under the radar to begin with, it wasn’t long before I started being selected and people started to take notice,” she recalls.

“I was only 15 when I made the team for Rio and still at school [Otahuhu College]. I kept it quiet, so it wasn’t until I missed weeks of school [while at the games] that most people knew. When I came back, the school was really proud; it was great to have their support.”

Her return from the games was a little different this time around, with two weeks in managed isolation on her return from Tokyo providing the (now) twenty-yearold with some well-deserved rest.

“Some people struggled [with MIQ], but I feel I was thriving,” Tupou adds. “I enjoyed the downtime, getting in touch with family and friends, sleeping in, not doing much training and taking things all in my own time. In a way, it was pretty cool!”

“I started competitive swimming at Howick Pakuranga and I was there from 2010 right up until last year. Everyone at HPK still supports me… they’ve been amazing and helped shaped me into the athlete I am today.”

Tupou Neiufi ahead of 2018 Commonwealth Games. Photo Simon Watts, BW Media