In honour of Mental Health Awareness Week, we have Symone Tafuna'i joining us for TBIYTC. As a dedicated track athlete and social media reporter, Symone shares her journey of overcoming mental health challenges and the pressures of being one of the few full Samoan sprinters in Aotearoa. She discusses the importance of accessibility and resources for athletes, particularly in nurturing Pasifika and Māori talent, and her vision for creating spaces where everyone has a seat at the table.
"Sometimes showing up for myself at the start line is a huge achievement in itself"
Talofa lava! My name is Symmy and I am a NZ sprinter and a social media reporter. I'm full Samoan, hailing from the villages of Magiagi, Vaisala and Tanugamanono.
I began running at the age of 3 years old at my local athletics club, Avondale Spiders (828 represent cheehoo), which was just at the back of my house and haven’t stopped since.
I may come across as quite boisterous and confident on social media but in real life I have an airy-fairy persona and if I am not comfortable around you, I go non-verbal (shocker). Some would call that being a ‘fraud’ but my therapist calls that ‘anxiety’.
On that note of ‘anxiety’...I was diagnosed with it and severe depression in 2018. I was medicated for five years straight BUT now I am one year officially unmedicated. I know that’s right *nail emoji*
*FYI if I am not talking then there is something wrong because one thing, I can’t do is…shut up.
TRACK AND FIELD
I have represented New Zealand doing track and field in relays a handful of times but my favourite moment was when I was a member and captain of the NZ Women’s 4x100m World Junior relay team in 2016.
A close second is when I became the third fastest woman in Aotearoa for 100m in 2021. I was also 0.01 seconds off from qualifying for the World University games that year.
Being one of the only full Samoan sprinters within the track and field realm at the moment has not only been challenging but also rewarding. Challenging knowing self-inflicted pressure was prevalent and comparing my body type and results between my peers was constant. This then led to injuries and resulted in being unable to achieve goals that I desperately wanted.
However, despite the many lows, the greatest battle I had to face was allowing my mental demons to take over a safe space that I had cultivated for myself at such a young age. Being medicated for such a long time whilst competing and training was a huge test in itself. However, constant therapy, seeing my mental health coach and most importantly decentering results were the main factors of why I ran. Over time, I realised that sometimes showing up for myself at the start line is a huge achievement in itself and honestly super underrated.
Fast forward to now, I am now the fifth fastest woman in Aotearoa and back-to-back national gold medallist in the 4x100m relays. Whilst doing all of this, I am also in my third year of reporting and recently just finished covering the Paris Olympics for my news company as well.
RUBY asked me, “in relation to the field you are passionate about, what changes do you believe need to be made and what do you believe is possible?”
A change that I would like to see first and foremost is accessibility and resources. Despite track and field being a highly watched sport in the Olympics, back home majority if not all athletes self-fund themselves in order to achieve the international experience. Due to this, a lot of athletes like myself are either balancing a 9-5 job or finishing off their studies and in some cases are doing both.
Additionally, having more pathways for communities especially around Pasifika and Māori rangatahi to develop and nurture young talent. I believe that running is your bread and butter for foundations and necessary for when you are navigating the sport you want to discipline in.
I know that I hold great responsibility as a brown islander female in whatever space I occupy and I truly believe that there are seats for everyone at the table. In saying that, it is possible I will continue to work my ass off, be diligent, have fun with it…but most importantly build a table big enough so that my people can sit with me. Tatou taumamafa. Translation: Let's eat.
Article written by Symone Tafuna'i.
Photography by Manihera Te Hei.
Call 0800 LIFELINE (0800 543 354) or send a text to HELP (4357) for free confidential mental health support – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
