Usaia Naiteitei Sotutu is a former runner who represented Fiji at the 1972 Summer Olympics

Fiji at the 1972 Summer Olympics

Fiji competed at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany. No medals were won by Fiji.-Athletics:Men's 5000 m:* Usaia Sotutu - Heat: 15:24.2 Men's 10000 m:* Usaia Sotutu - did not compete...

.

Personal life

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

Fiji

Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...

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

South Pacific Games

The Pacific Games is a multi-sport event, much like the Olympics , with participation exclusively from countries around the South Pacific. It is held every four years and began in 1963, hosted by Suva, Fiji.- Concept :The idea of holding the South Pacific Games originated with Dr A.H...

 and the Summer Olympics. Shortly after participating in the Olympics, he attended Brigham Young University

Brigham Young University

Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...

 in Provo, Utah

Provo, Utah

Provo is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Utah, located about south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. Provo is the county seat of Utah County and lies between the cities of Orem to the north and Springville to the south...

, on a full scholarship

Scholarship

A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...

 for track and cross-country. While attending BYU, he converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 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, Washington

Kent is a city located in King County, Washington, United States, and is the third largest city in King County and the sixth largest in the state. An outlying suburb of Seattle, Kent is also the corporate home for companies such as REI and Oberto Sausage...

 in 1980. There he went to work for Boeing

Boeing

The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...

, 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, Washington

Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...

 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 Summer Olympics. He did not win any medals.

After Retirement

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

External links

• Sports Reference
• Fiji Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee#Fiji Sports Hall of Fame