Tonga’s first female athlete to compete in the Olympics boxing competition, Fe’ofa’aki ‘Epenisa, is excited to represent her Pacific heritage in Paris this month.
“I just feel honored and proud. I know I’m representing Tonga but overall I feel like I’m representing the whole of Polynesia and Oceania because there’s a very small percentage of us that make it to this level. I’m Tongan, Samoan and Fijian descent, that’s why my last name is Epenisa”.
Commonly known as ‘Ofa Aki’ by her family and peers in the boxing community, Ofa was born and raised in Vava’u in Tonga. Her parents are Lineni ‘Epenisa and Lesa Reupena; and she has three siblings.
“My Dad was a boxer. He taught us when we were young. When I moved to the USA, boxing was not involved. I did rugby for three years at college but I decided to do something else. So I picked up boxing”, she said.
In 2005 when she was 19 years old, Ofa moved to the USA, where she still resides today. She trains at her local gym, Pure Technik Boxing in San Antonio in Texas, with coaches Danilo Jacob Garcia and Jeffery Mays and conditioning coach Jesse Coronado.
Ofa first represented Tonga at the 2019 Pacific games in Samoa. She also competed in last year’s SOL23 Pacific Games, where a total of 13 Olympic qualification spots were available. She lost to Australian boxer, Tina Rahimi, in the gold medal bout at that meet, and missed qualifying.
But after receiving an unexpected invitation from the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Ofa will now compete in the 60 kg weight class in Paris. “I’ve just ran into people who wanted to help me and make my goal happen. They saw that I was willing to show up and stay committed and dedicated…that they chose to put their time and energy into me”, she said.
She admits it’s difficult to be a boxer from the Pacific.
“The reason why smaller nations struggle is that we don’t have those resources, the education and expertise. Tonga, or any of the islands, do not have the resources that the major countries have, in terms of good training camps, strength and conditioning coaches and equipment,…even some of these countries have doctors and psychiatrists, psychologists and all these crazy resources to help push us to reach our goals”.
Cultural obligations are another challenge she noted: “Consistency can be a struggle because of our family dynamics. For example, having to show up for our family for functions or for when someone is sick…there’s always something happening that can always deter somebody from pursuing what they really wanted”.
Ofa says she has never been better prepared for a tournament. “I’m trying my best to stay in the present and not live trying to know the future and what is going to happen. I have a lot of work that I need to do now and I need to focus on what I can do now to be better now. So when I get there I can truly enjoy the moment”.
Her family has been her biggest source of motivation.
“I just want to be a good example to my nephews and nieces back in Tonga and knowing that younger kids are looking up to me, I want them to pass me one day. I want to encourage them to be better than me.
“But I will really try my hardest to make it hard for them. That’s my goal. I’m not gonna make it easy”, she said, laughing. She thanks her family and supporters for all their love: “Enjoy watching it and feel proud. I want everybody to enjoy this just as much as I am.”