“I am proud to be a Samoan girl in New Zealand and my dad isn’t here with us anymore and to make his culture proud is something I am super happy about.”
Whether it’s her unbothered and bubbly persona, or the trademark dark shades she wears during competition, Maddison-Lee Wesche is the next big thing in the shot put world.
And she can confidently now add an Olympics silver medal to the list of her many achievements and feats to date.
At the Olympic Games in Paris, the 25 year old made a whopping 19.86m throw, recording a personal best and securing the silver medal behind Germany’s Yemisi Ogunyleye.
“I am just so excited to be a part of the women’s shot put which is so competitive at the moment,” she said, speaking to the media afterwards.
“I had butterflies going into that last throw to be honest. I knew I was capable of producing a 20 metre throw but it just didn’t happen on the day.”
Although narrowly missing out on the gold medal, Wesche showed true sportsmanship and class by congratulating her fellow competitors including Yemini after the finals showdown.
“Yep, I cheered for her on her final throw.”
Wesche got emotional when speaking about the achievement and what it would mean to her late father.
“I am proud to be a Samoan girl in New Zealand and my dad isn’t here with us anymore and to make his culture proud is something I am super happy about.”
