Young swimmer to carry Sāmoa's hopes in Paris Olympics

A young Samoan swimmer is heading to the Paris Olympics next month, building on her successful career as a junior.

Kaiya Brown (20) is a young Samoan from West Auckland who will compete in the women’s 50 meter freestyle at the Olympics.

Brown joined the Overtime podcast and recalls receiving the news she was headed to Paris.

“It all happened at once. I found out at lunchtime that day, didn’t tell anyone because I wanted to tell my parents first. So I kind of held all this excitement to myself.”

But before Team Samoa made their squad announcement, Brown said she made some important calls to her loved ones ahead of the news.

“I made my phone calls before my Samoan team posted their big announcement. I made phone calls to my friends, family. Then they posted, and it was all in from there.

“The feedback was amazing, I got so many supportive messages and feedback. It was even cooler to see people who don’t follow me, see who I am, and support me.

“It’s still kind of surreal, kind of just waiting around and seeing what’s going to happen. Something I won’t get over until I’m there.”

Listen to the full interview with Kaiya here:

Kaiya Brown represented Samoa at last year's Pacific Games in seven separate races. She has also traveled to Japan, Qatar and the US to compete in different aquatic competitions.

Brown said competing as a professional was something her parents supported since she was young.

“I never really thought about going big, but my parents went and pushed for it. So starting off at a young age they always thought I would do something good with swimming.

“Samoa came to me which was really cool ahead of the Pacific Games. I was really grateful for that kind of recognition, something that doesn’t come around everyday.”

Reflecting on the Pacific Games, Brown says the experience was something that was “indescribable”.

“That was unreal, it was a crazy experience especially at home soil the crowd goes wild! It’s a really cool experience, something you can’t describe.

“I was the youngest girl I believe, and the experience was kind of crazy, very nerve racking! The experience of being there is what I was most excited about.”

Brown leaves for Paris at the end of the month, and is currently preparing for her first race on 3 August. She said in the coming weeks, training has been a mix of long and short days with a focus on sprints.
Team Samoa will meet on the island before leaving for Paris. Brown shares a story of what to expect for the swimmers competing in France.

“When we go to our international meets, it’s important for us to eat together and be together in the morning. It’s a big thing for Pacific Islanders to come together in the morning, to count our blessings and thank each other.

“It’s something that we do with our island teams, we come together with other nations like Tonga and Fiji. It’s really cool to embrace our cultures, when we’re thousands of miles away.”

Kaiya Brown with Willie Poching and Matt Manukuo.