History has been made at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, with Alex Rose securing Samoa’s first ever medal in the history of the competition.
A three time Olympian and two time World Championship finalist, Rose came away with the bronze medal with a total throw of 66.9m.
Rose is no stranger to representing Samoa becoming a familiar face in regional and international competition.
“This is one of the greatest moments of my entire life and it’s been 20 years in the making,” said Rose
“I was never the favourite.I didn’t throw 60m until I was out of college, and it’s been a really long road. It is the culmination of so much effort for so many years,” he said.
The bronze medal win was an emotional moment for Rose who reflected on his journey in representing Samoa through the past years.
“I didn’t make a final until I was 30 years old and I almost quit so many times. The last time I was here I failed to make the final. I fell on my face and almost quit the sport. It was awful”
“To come back here and do what I just did, there is no feeling like it”
Swedish powerhouse Daniel Stahl won a third discus world title in Tokyo with a huge final-round heave of 70.47m, the silver going to world record-holder Mykolas Alekna of Lithuania (67.84m).
