Fafeita: Teen with a golden arm

Alex Fafeita is a young man of many colours.
The 16-year-old year 12 pupil at Wairarapa College has the sporting world at his feet - or more correctly his hands - after winning gold and silver medals at the Australian junior track and field championships at Sydney's Olympic Park at the weekend.
Competing in the under-18 boys' section as part of the first-ever Oceania squad, Fafeita grabbed the major spoils in the hammer throw with a distance of 59.84m and later placed second in the shot put with an effort of 16.51m. And while he didn't secure a medal in the discus, he came mighty close. His best effort of 50.47m was just 35cm behind that of the third placegetter.
Away from the sporting environment, however, Fafeita is intent on making a name for himself in a different pursuit: music. He can play any number of instruments including the drums, guitar, bass and piano, and a prime objective is to write his own orchestral arrangement.
Not surprisingly, then, it is music he intends to study once he completes his secondary school education.
A more immediate aim for Fafeita, however, is to qualify for the hammer throw at the world youth track and field championships in France next year.
He has to reach 66.50m for that to happen and has only until June to manage it. But, buoyed by his success in Sydney, he is confident he can meet that challenge.
"It's a big ask but it's on. It's only a matter of having everything come together on the one day," Fafeita said.
His Sydney gold medal in the hammer was a classic example of his ability to rise to the occasion.
It was not until the fifth of his six attempts that he threw what was to be the winning distance.
"I knew it was a good one. I think everyone knew that by the shout I let out," Fafeita said.
The silver medal he secured in the shot caught even Fafeita by surprise, as he had gone into that event expecting to be among the also-rans. But his best effort of 16.51m was a personal best by about 1m and close to the eventual winner's top effort of 16.73m.
He admitted to a semblance of frustration in the discus, though, having considered a medal to be a definite prospect there. Missing out by such a small margin had been a "bit disappointing".
Fafeita now coaches himself, having been taught the field event ropes by Carterton-based coach John Quinn, but doesn't see that as a handicap. He believes he has a good enough understanding of the various techniques to keep progressing.
In the weeks before heading to Australia, he took the opportunity to receive "very helpful" tips from two of the best-credentialled field event coaches in the country, Shaka Sola and Matt Dallow, and will call on them should any "fine-tuning" of technique be needed.
Before competing at Olympic Park, he also contested the Wairarapa intercollegiate sports in Masterton and, remarkably, now holds all junior, intermediate and senior discus and shot put records for that meet. The hammer throw is not on the programme there.