Fiji Sportswoman of the Year 2024 recipient Miriama Waruvono Taletawa dedicated her award to her coach Henry Elder. It was Elder and his wife Della who reached out to her mother to ask if any of her children was interested in lifting. Her mother nominated her in 2020 and she has not looked back since. Taletawa said winning the award for two years in a row was a pleasant surprise. “Coach (Elder) always motivated me and the team. Even though we drop weights he is always there encouraging and lifting us up,” the 20-year-old said. “This was really a big surprise. I never thought I will win it for the second time because I was struggling with my lifts last year. “Later on I managed to lift well and achieve some medals.” The Lomaloma, Vanuabalavu, Lau lass dominated local competitions before winning a bronze and silver at the Oceania Weightlifting competition last year. She shares maternal links to Naitasiri. Taletawa won a silver medal in the junior category during the 2024 Commonwealth Weightlifting Championship in Suva. She is a first year student at the University of the South Pacific pursuing a bachelor’s degree in science majoring in Chemistry and Biology. “Right now I’m training three times a week and the rest of the days I try and complete my assignments.” Taletawa is continuing her training and hopes to make it to the next competition in Australia at the end of April. Feedback: sereana.salalo@fijisun.com.fj