Beatrice Faumuina
Encyclopedia
Beatrice Roini Liua Faumuina, ONZM
(born 23 October 1974 in Auckland, New Zealand) is a New Zealand discus thrower, a gold medallist at the 1997 World Championships in Athletics
. She has represented New Zealand in three Summer Olympics. After winning the discus
event at the 2002 Commonwealth Games
in Manchester
she was featured on a stamp from Samoa
.
At the 2004 Summer Olympics
she placed 7th in the discus
with a throw of 64.45 metres. Early in her career, she was coached by New Zealand sport celebrity Les Mills
.
On 16 October 2005, Beatrice Faumina was nominated Goodwill Ambassador
of the Food and Agriculture Organization
of the United Nations (FAO).
In 2006 she appeared in the New Zealand version of the television series Dancing with the Stars
where she was placed second. Since 2006 she has been a presenter on the Television New Zealand
Pacific Islands current events programme Tagata Pasifika
.
In 2007, Beatrice has decided to focus on athletics and is basing herself in Australia for the majority of the year before competing in Osaka, Japan. She is returning to good form after a disappointing injury plagued her 2006 season, placing her 4th at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games. She recently threw 62.2 metres at a meet in Christchurch, beating rival Dani Samuels from Australia. This followed a winning throw of 62.08 throw at a meet in Canberra.
She placed 28th in the 2008 Summer Olympics
in Beijing with a throw of 57.18m, failing to qualify for the final. Her comments to media following her elimination were widely criticized after it was perceived that she was satisfied with what many viewed as a sub-standard performance.
Faumuina finished seventh in the 2009 Reebok Grand Prix in New York, with a throw of 56.73 metres. She was expected to compete in the Prefontaine meet in Oregon, in order to throw the qualifying standard for the 2009 World Championships in Athletics
in Berlin. However, she did not attend the meeting and her coach stated that she had decided to focus on her upcoming Bachelor of Business Studies exams instead.
New Zealand Order of Merit
The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order established in 1996 "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have rendered meritorious service to the Crown and nation or who have become distinguished by their eminence, talents, contributions or other merits."The order includes five...
(born 23 October 1974 in Auckland, New Zealand) is a New Zealand discus thrower, a gold medallist at the 1997 World Championships in Athletics
1997 World Championships in Athletics
The 6th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held at the Olympic Stadium, Athens, Greece between August 1 and August 10, 1997. In this event participated 1882 athletes from 198 participant nations...
. She has represented New Zealand in three Summer Olympics. After winning the discus
Discus
Discus, "disk" in Latin, may refer to:* Discus , a progressive rock band from Indonesia* Discus , a fictional character from the Marvel Comics Universe and enemy of Luke Cage* Discus , a freshwater fish popular with aquarium keepers...
event at the 2002 Commonwealth Games
2002 Commonwealth Games
The 2002 Commonwealth Games were held in Manchester, England from 25 July to 4 August 2002. The XVII Commonwealth Games was the largest multi-sport event ever to be held in the UK, eclipsing London's 1948 Summer Olympics in numbers of teams and athletes participating.After the 1996 Manchester...
in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
she was featured on a stamp from Samoa
Samoa
Samoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...
.
At the 2004 Summer Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
she placed 7th in the discus
Discus
Discus, "disk" in Latin, may refer to:* Discus , a progressive rock band from Indonesia* Discus , a fictional character from the Marvel Comics Universe and enemy of Luke Cage* Discus , a freshwater fish popular with aquarium keepers...
with a throw of 64.45 metres. Early in her career, she was coached by New Zealand sport celebrity Les Mills
Les Mills
Leslie Roy Mills CNZM, MBE, is a retired New Zealand athlete, who represented New Zealand at Olympic Games and Commonwealth Games over two decades. He competed in shot put, discus and weightlifting events...
.
On 16 October 2005, Beatrice Faumina was nominated Goodwill Ambassador
FAO Goodwill Ambassador
The FAO Goodwill Ambassadors Programme was initiated in 1999. The main purpose of the programme is to increase public awareness and to disseminate information on issues related to food security, hunger and poverty in the world...
of the Food and Agriculture Organization
Food and Agriculture Organization
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is a specialised agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Serving both developed and developing countries, FAO acts as a neutral forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and...
of the United Nations (FAO).
In 2006 she appeared in the New Zealand version of the television series Dancing with the Stars
Dancing with the Stars
Dancing with the Stars is the name of several international television series based on the format of the British TV series Strictly Come Dancing, which is distributed by BBC Worldwide – the commercial arm of the BBC. Currently the format has been licensed to over 35 countries...
where she was placed second. Since 2006 she has been a presenter on the Television New Zealand
Television New Zealand
Television New Zealand, more commonly referred to, and stylized as TVNZ, is a government-owned corporation television network broadcasting in New Zealand and parts of the Pacific. It operates TV1, TV2, TVNZ7, TVNZ Heartland, TVNZ U and new media services....
Pacific Islands current events programme Tagata Pasifika
Tagata Pasifika
Tagata Pasifika is an English language New Zealand programme which screens on TVNZ's TV ONE and on Māori Television. This programme is made to specifically meet the niche market of New Zealand's Pacific Islander population.-Content:...
.
In 2007, Beatrice has decided to focus on athletics and is basing herself in Australia for the majority of the year before competing in Osaka, Japan. She is returning to good form after a disappointing injury plagued her 2006 season, placing her 4th at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games. She recently threw 62.2 metres at a meet in Christchurch, beating rival Dani Samuels from Australia. This followed a winning throw of 62.08 throw at a meet in Canberra.
She placed 28th in the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
in Beijing with a throw of 57.18m, failing to qualify for the final. Her comments to media following her elimination were widely criticized after it was perceived that she was satisfied with what many viewed as a sub-standard performance.
Faumuina finished seventh in the 2009 Reebok Grand Prix in New York, with a throw of 56.73 metres. She was expected to compete in the Prefontaine meet in Oregon, in order to throw the qualifying standard for the 2009 World Championships in Athletics
2009 World Championships in Athletics
The 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics were held in Berlin, Germany from 15–23 August 2009. The majority of events took place in the Olympiastadion, while the marathon and racewalking events started and finished at the Brandenburg Gate....
in Berlin. However, she did not attend the meeting and her coach stated that she had decided to focus on her upcoming Bachelor of Business Studies exams instead.
Achievements
| Representing | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Olympic Games Athletics at the 1996 Summer Olympics At the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, 44 events in athletics were contested, 24 by men and 20 by women. There were a total number of 2053 participating athletes from 191 countries.-Men:... |
Atlanta, United States Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in... |
23rd | 58.40 m |
| 2002 | Commonwealth Games Athletics at the 2002 Commonwealth Games At the 2002 Commonwealth Games, the athletics events were held at the City of Manchester Stadium from the 26–30 July 2002. The route for the marathon event crossed Manchester city centre and finished in the stadium. The race walk events began alongside the Lowry Centre at Salford Quays... |
Manchester, United Kingdom | 1st | 60.83 m Athletics at the 2002 Commonwealth Games – Women's discus throw The men's discus throw event at the 2002 Commonwealth Games was held on 26–27 July.-Results:-References:** at BBC... |