Usaia Naiteitei Sotutu (born 20 September 1947 in Tavea, Bua,

Fiji Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...

) is a former runner who represented Fiji at the 1972 Summer Olympics.

Personal life

Usaia was born to Tevita Naiteitei and Akisi Buasega in 1947 in

. He represented Fiji in several international track and field competitions, including the South Pacific Games and the

Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inau ...

. Shortly after participating in the Olympics, he attended

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...

Provo, Utah Provo ( ) is the fourth-largest city in Utah, United States. It is south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. Provo is the largest city and county seat of Utah County and is home to Brigham Young University (BYU). Provo lies between the ...

, on a full scholarship for track and cross-country. While attending BYU, he converted to

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

. In 1973, he took a break from his college and track career to serve a two-year mission for the Church back in Fiji. He later married Catherine Marie Olson in 1975, who was also studying at BYU. After finishing his schooling in Provo, he, Cathie, and their first son, David, moved back to Fiji. They lived there for three years. During that time he taught physical education, and they had two more children, Juliette and Charles. Then they moved to

Kent, Washington Kent is a city in King County, Washington, United States. It is part of the Seattle–Tacoma–Bellevue metropolitan area and had a population of 136,588 as of the 2020 census, making it the fourth-largest municipality in greater Seattle and t ...

in 1980. There he went to work for

Boeing The Boeing Company () is an American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, and sells airplanes, rotorcraft, rockets, satellites, telecommunications equipment, and missiles worldwide. The company also provides leasing and product ...

, and they had two more daughters, Jennifer and Diana. He and Cathie were divorced in 2004, but he still lives in the

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...

area and still works for Boeing.

Running/athletics career

Usaia was a noted runner in Fiji and was selected to represent Fiji in the South Pacific Games (now Pacific Games) numerous times. In 1972, he was chosen to represent Fiji in the

. He did not win any medals.

Achievements

After Retirement

It is not known when he retired, but he was ushered into the Fiji Sports Hall of Fame in 1993.

Internal References

* Fiji at the 1972 Summer Olympics

References

External links

* * * Fiji Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee#Fiji Sports Hall of Fame {{DEFAULTSORT:Sotutu, Usaia 1947 births Living people Fijian male steeplechase runners Olympic athletes for Fiji Athletes (track and field) at the 1972 Summer Olympics BYU Cougars men's track and field athletes Converts to Mormonism Fijian Latter Day Saints Latter Day Saints from Washington (state) Fijian Mormon missionaries Mormon missionaries in Fiji 20th-century Mormon missionaries Sportspeople from Kent, Washington Track and field athletes from Seattle People from Bua Province Fijian male long-distance runners BYU Cougars men's cross country runners