‘It doesn’t matter what I wear, I represent both’

One of Team New Zealand’s only Tongan athletes is eager to bring home gold for both Tonga and NZ in the men’s weightlifting competition at the Olympics.

David Liti will pull on the black uniform for the second time at an Olympics, after making his debut at the 2020 Tokyo games.

The 28-year old Tongam who was raised in South Auckland, said he is proud to represent both countries at the games.

“I think it’s important for anybody to represent who they are, their family and their country. I was blessed enough to make it through the New Zealand system.

“It doesn’t matter what I wear or what it is that people see on me, I’m still Tongan, I’m still Kiwi.

“I represent both.”

Listen to the full interview with David Liti on 531PI's Pacific Mornings.

Liti is also one of the few Tongan represented at the Olympic Games. He recalls the moment he spotted Tongan boxer Feo’ofa’aki Epenisa in the athletes’ village.

“I was hoping to meet any of them really but I’m not sure where they are, as the village is quite huge. I did meet the female boxer briefly before we got here, she was waiting at the same shuttle stop.

“I was just walking down from our New Zealand building and I said ‘oh that’s the Tongan boxer - and I greeted her in Tongan.

“I got to chat to her, she said she’s happy and said she got to get her teeth done at the village. I want to find where they are, but for now I gotta stay focused in preparation for Saturday.”

The Tongan athlete joins a plethora of weightlifting talent from Oceania, who have competed at the Olympic Games. He hopes more athletes from Oceania continue to excel in the sport.

“We’re naturally just built for it. If you look at our history and our ancestors, we were so isolated from the world so we would have war for fun. We would build vakas from trees, carve them ourselves!

“Our sport is small but we have a lot of heart in Oceania. My only wish for us as PI people is to venture out into something more than being a doctor, a rugby player, or a netball player. The options are endless.

“I hope to be an inspiration alongside these other good weightlifters to show our future generation that there is more than one way to succeed in life. And weightlifting is another pathway.”

Liti praises his connection to his heritage and its importance in his career as an athlete.

“What it was for our ancestors and why is it we’re built this why, why are we strong, why are we so respectful. I’ve been watching a lot of ancestral stuff lately, and I understand more of why we are this way.

“We put being humble as one of the biggest things, but we forget it’s one of the biggest things that stop us from succeeding so much. For me, it’s being able to control your emotions, understand when it is to be humble, to come out of that zone.”

Liti will have a chance to medal at the games, after two successful appearances at the 2018 (Gold Medal, 105kg men’s) and 2022 (Silver Medal, 105kg men’s) Commonwealth Games.

He will compete in the 102kg men’s weightlifting category on Saturday, 10 August.

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