Samoa’s Hometown Hero Wins First Gold in Men’s Swimming
The atmosphere at the Faleata Aquatics Centre was full of anticipation for the men’s swimming competition.
Papua New Guinea's Ryan Pini, winner of six gold medals at the Port Moresby XV Pacific Games, has officially retired, leaving the field wide open for young competitors eager to gain their place on the podium.
Samoa’s own Brandon Schuster is one swimmer looking to take gold in his home country.
As the only swimmer who was competing in two events, the 200m breaststroke and the 200m backstroke, on the first day of competition, Schuster made his mark during the preliminary races by placing second in his heat and third overall in the men’s 200m backstroke.
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Samoa's Schuster takes gold in the pool (Pacific Games News Service)
When asked about which event he prefers, Schuster said: “Backstroke is the one where I got a bronze medal in the last Pacific Games, but the competition has got so much faster in the past four years. It’s amazing. [But] I’m excited for both [events] for different reasons. The breaststroke is where I can really push myself and see if I can keep up with the leader of the pack.”
Schuster indeed pushed himself onto the podium on Tuesday night, earning the bronze in the 200m breaststroke and winning Samoa’s first gold medal of the competition in the men’s 200m backstroke.
Gold medal (Credit: Pacific Games News Service)
After winning two medals for his country on the opening night of swimming, Schuster said the difference maker was, “the crowd. That was probably the biggest thing. You just felt a shot of adrenaline come into you and you’re just ready to swim. You hear your name called, your country, you just hear everyone on the whole stage. It’s crazy. It’s awesome.”
Schuster will continue to try to swim his way to gold on Wednesday in the 400m individual medley. “This is just the tip of the iceberg," he predicted.
