Peauope Suli Jr has been training to be a sprinter from the age of six, with the hope of one day representing Tonga at the Olympics.
“Poko,” as he is called, was inspired by photos of his father at the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games. His father, Peauope Suli Sr, represented Tonga in the 100m event, and was also the Tongan and Oceania sprinting champion.
Track and field is a way of life for the Suli family. The children all train six days a week at Trusts Stadium in Henderson, Auckland.
First place finishes and medals were not immediate for Poko. He did not win early on in his track career. However, through persistence, hard work and determination his natural talent began to show and eventually the results started to come on the track.
This year Poko became the New Zealand under 20 club champion in the 100m race with a time of 10.6 seconds. Nursing an upper leg injury before the race, Poko said he was confident the Lord would help him.
He also won gold medals in the 100m and 200m at the Auckland Secondary Schools and the North Island Secondary Schools championships, along with a silver medal competing against runners from across the South Pacific.
Poko was favoured to be the New Zealand secondary school champion, but his commitment to attend his Sunday church services and keep the Sabbath holy meant an early flight home. Despite pressure from his team and club to run on Sunday, he chose to forgo the Sunday final.
Poko, who recently returned from the World Junior Athletic Championship in Oregon, United States, has been offered scholarships by the Australian Institute of Sport and the New Zealand Rugby Union.
Most 19-year-old sprinters would leap at these opportunities, but not Poko. To him, serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints comes first.
He says putting athletics aside for two years is not a sacrifice but a decision he made early in his life. He will be the second missionary serving in his family, with older sister Kato Suli currently assigned to the New Zealand Wellington Mission.
After Poko completes his mission he will return to athletics with a goal to compete in the 100m event at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
Watch a video about Mormon missionaries.