Okilani Tinilau (born 2 January 1989) is a Tuvaluan

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...

and sprinter who represented Tuvalu at the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...

. As a footballer, Tinilau plays for F.C. Manu Laeva in the

Tuvalu A-Division Tuvalu A-Division or The National Provident Fund Championship League (NPF) is the top football division in Tuvalu. Eight of the nine islands in Tuvalu are represented in the competition. Niulakita is the only island that has no football club. Som ...

, also playing on the Tuvalu national football team.

Football

Club career

He plays for

FC Manu Laeva FC Manu Laeva is a Tuvaluan football club from Nukulaelae that currently plays in the Tuvalu A-Division. The team's home ground is the Tuvalu Sports Ground, the only football field in Tuvalu. Manu Laeva plays on an amateur level, as do all the ...

football club in

Tuvalu Tuvalu ( or ; formerly known as the Ellice Islands) is an island country and microstate in the Polynesian subregion of Oceania in the Pacific Ocean. Its islands are situated about midway between Hawaii and Australia. They lie east-northeast ...

. At the 2012 NBT Cup, he was the top scorer with 5 goals. He represented

at the

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

, during the country's first ever Olympic Games. While competing in the

100 metre sprint The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been conteste ...

, he set a national record with a time of 11.48. His personal best time is 11.44. Tinilau also participated in the

2009 World Championships in Athletics The 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics () were held in Berlin, Germany from 15–23 August 2009. The majority of events took place in the Olympiastadion, while the marathon and racewalking events started and finished at the Brandenburg ...

, (11.57 sec) the 2011 World Championships (11.58 secs) and the 2013 World Championships (11.57 secs). His personal best in the long jump is 6.52 m.

International career

Tinilau is also part of the Tuvalu national football team as a midfielder and participated in the

2011 Pacific Games The 2011 Pacific Games (officially known as NC 2011) took place in Nouméa, New Caledonia, from August 27 to September 10, 2011. Nouméa was the 14th host of the Pacific Games. Upon closure of the registration for entries, "some 4,300 athletes" h ...

. He made his debut in the match against

New Caledonia ) , anthem = "" , image_map = New Caledonia on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , map_alt = Location of New Caledonia , map_caption = Location of New Caledonia , mapsize = 290px , subdivision_type = Sovereign st ...

on 1 September 2011. He also played in the games against Vanuatu; and the Solomon Islands.

Honours

*NBT Cup Top Scorer: 2012 * Christmas Cup Top Scorer: 2012

Athletics

Track events

Field events

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Tinilau, Okilani 1989 births Athletes (track and field) at the 2008 Summer Olympics Living people Olympic athletes for Tuvalu Tuvaluan footballers Tuvalu men's international footballers People from Nukulaelae Men's association football midfielders Tuvaluan male sprinters World Athletics Championships athletes for Tuvalu F.C. Manu Laeva players