Polynesian pride: Track star with island roots driven by family

RNZ News

6 days ago

Laiana McClinton with medals she has won over her young career.
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Laiana McClinton's family were not surprised when the 17 year old claimed double wins at the Florida State high school athletic meet on May 10.
To them, the top of the notch performance was just a continuation of what her relatives had done previously in different sporting codes around the United States of America.
The Largo High School junior became the first Polynesian heritage athlete to win the two titles in one meet in Florida, and the second only from her school to claim that, since 1992, when her school claimed that initial victory.
With strong ties to Tonga and Samoa, Laiana, as she is fondly called by her family, has been on a tide of achievements, since her first years in school.
RNZ Pacific spoke to Laiana, her mother Janesia Tautalatasi and grandfather Siofilisi Kaianuanu Sikahema, and learned a little bit more about the young champion's Polynesian links, with revelation that she also has Fijian ties through her grandpa.
She has direct links to Vai Sikahema, the first Tongan heritage player to make it into the NFL or American Football, retiring in 1993 after playing for the Philadelphia Eagles.
Vai is Laiana's uncle, her mother's cousin. Grandpa Siofilisi and Vai's dad are brothers.
On her grandmother's side, who is from Samoa, Vai is related to Taivale 'Jurnior' Taulatatasi, who played NFL for the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys.
And a cousin of another NFL player, Nicholas 'Nuico' Lamaleava.
Laiana McClinton with medals she has won over her young career.
Photo:
Supplied
Mother Janesia said her daughter is a proud 'afakasi', with strong Tongan, Samoan and African American blood ties..
"Yes my daughter, Liana McClinton, have her Polynesian roots deeply rooted with athleticism," she proudly shared with RNZ Pacific.
"Her Tongan side, through my father, Siofilisi Kaianuanu Sikahema, who comes from Vava'u in Tonga. His family is not only athletic, but they're also taalented musically, like they're all like musicians.
"My father's a musician and probably one of the best 'ukulele' players in in the world, he is very talented.
"In the Sikahema family we have the first Tongan to make it to the NFL, which is Vai Sikahema. And that's my first cousin, his father and my dad are our blood brothers."
Janesia's mother, Laiana's grandma, is Samoan.
"She's full Samoan. Her name is Merita Oilau Tautalatasi and she's from Fangatoa, American Samoa," she said.
"Her sister has a grandson, Nicholas 'Nuico' Lamaleava, who played quarterback for Tennessee and went over to UCLA now.
"And her brother is Junior Tautalatasi, who also was a Samoan NFL player as well in the early 80s. So, like I said, our athletic ties and you know, runs deep in her Polynesian roots as well."
Laiana McClinton with her medals and her relatives after her title wins.
Photo:
Janesia Tautalatasi
Laiana started her athletics career early, running tracks back when she was 10 years old.
Mum Janesia said she entered her daughter into a track club in the area where they live.
It was the first sport that she played.
Janesia shared that she was uncertain what sport her daughter could play, with her older son getting into football.
"I didn't know quite know what to do with my daughter and I didn't know which sport she wanted to play," she said.
"But the moment that I got her into track when she was 10 years old, I saw that she started finishing in the top three.
"Florida is one place where you have alot of fast athletes and very competitive athletes and to see her coming in second place out of 50 or 60 girls in her age group kind of sparked the realization that ok, this might be it. This might be her sport and eventually she started moving up to the 1st place.
"Ever since then, every single year, she would run and she'd get first place at every local track meet and it just took off from there until high school an she's been getting better and better every year."
Janesia said her wins on May 10 was a culmination of the hard work her daughter and her coachig team have put in over the years.
Finishing third in her sophomore year, last year, in the same event pushed Laiana to become the best this year.
"She didn't make it quite all the way to the end in the States 100 meter last year when she was a sophomore," Janesia said of her daughter.
"That third place kind of gave her the drive that she wanted, the hunger that she wanted to get first place. She definitely worked hard in practice and that was definitely her goal, to make it first place in and she went there, executed and and got the job done."
Laiana McClinton stopped the clock at 11.75 seconds in the 100m and 23.67 seconds in the 200m.
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Laiana's wins came as special gifts to her mum and grandpa.
It was Mother's Day that weekend and also her grandfather, Siofilisi's birthday.
And it was a special week in the Florda State being Pasifika Heritage Week.
"It was the day before Mother's Day and actually the day before my dad's birthday," Janesia shared.
"The Florida High School State Championship was in Jacksonville, which is about four hours away from where we currently live in Tampa and we drove all the way out there.
"We had a lot of family that drove down there to watch her compete because we kind of knew this was going to be a special competition where she would take first place.
"We just knew that this would probably be the moment and it was definitely a rewarding feeling, especially right before Mother's Day.
"It's a one of the biggest rewards as a mother to see your daughter strive to be the greatest version of herself. She's worked so hard, to make it at this point and represent her family.
I think she really did this to represent her family and you know, her culture. And it's just a it's a big thing for her."
Grandpa Siofilisi was part of the family contingent that drove to watch Laiana in action.
He said it was a proud moment for him to witness his grandddaughter win not one but two titles on the day.
"This is the best birthday present Laiana gave to me on my birthday," the 76 year old well-known Tongan musician said.
"Everything she do is so nice, she is my favourite girl and she makes me really happy and she has made the whole family very happy."
Siofilisi said that he never dreamt that he would see the day when such a feat would be achieved by a family member.
But he is grateful for the decision he made to leave Tonga as a young 18 year old musician, going through Japan first before finally making it to the States.
He shared his music career and the chanced opportunity he had to meet a Japanese man who offered him a lifeline to a better future.
"I grew up in Tonga and played at Dateline Hotel with a band over there," he revealed.
"In 1973 I was 18 years old and a Janese guy came from Tokyo and stayed at the hotel. I didn't know that he is a millionaire from Tokyo.
"He can see me play music in Dateline hotel and he asked me "you want to go to Japan".
"I was 18 years old and he told me straight from Dateline to Japan in 1973 and I got to play in his hotel."
After a year in Tokyo Siofilisi asked his Japanese friend if they could go and visit San Fransisco, because his (Siofilisi's) parents lived there.
"So, he took me from Japan to Frisco and I got there in 1974," he said.
"And I went to see Disneyworld and Disneyworld hired me to go open the first Disneyworld out of America in Tokyo. I went to open the Dismeyworld in Tokyo in 1983.
Then we moved to the States after that and have been here since."
He said he has enjoyed watching his family members grow and excel in different sports in the States, while also seeing the family growing in their music and entertainment circle.
"We have continued to be involved with music here and our family continues to do that," he said.
"And to see my family members take up sports and do so well here it just makes me happy. I really enjoy watching the sports they play and I know it makes me live longer because I am 76 years old now."
For the young Laiana, the sky is the limit right now.
There is the opportunity to represent Samoa or Tonga and even Fiji in the future, if she does not make it into Team USA.
But her focus is on achieving a repeat in 2026, in the senior competition.
"The next steps this year are definitely make it to States because I have one more year of high school left, so we have to go through our regular season of track and then we have districts, regionals and then States," she said.
"And so after making it through all of them, that will bring me back to Jacksonville again to hopefully win the 100m and 200 meter dash again for the second time in year and my senior year."
She replayed her preparation for her wins on May 10, saying she just kept her focus, started well and ran with her all strength.
"Well, initially, I have a very big sense of being humble knowing that anything can happen, that sometimes the time might not be right," she revealed to RNZ Pacific.
"God's plan for me is always, and it's always about timing. So before my 100 meter, I was just really locked in, just ready to execute. It's a big thing to execute your race and it is always important not to rush the process.
"That was the first time I really executed my full race to my full capabilities and that led to me winning the 100 meter dash on that stage and it made me feel so proud and happy that all this work that I've been putting in was worth something.
"For the 200, I was already pumped up after the 100 metre win and coming off that curve I knew it was just me and the tides, just me and the clock.
"I was so happy that I was able come and compete and win and it was like make my dreams come true. And I knew all my family was there watching, so I had to make everyone proud and I know I couldn't have let them come here for nothing."
Laiana said one of the biggest influence for her has been coach Jamar Parker.
She said "he has been such a great help. He was my coach since I was younger and he was one of the many coaches that I was blessed to have since I first started track and through the years I've just been working with him and he's just been helping me a lot".
Laiana also paid tribute to her family and said they mean everything to her.
"It means a lot to me. I do everything for my family," she said.
"It's roots like that that is my drive for success. My drive for anything 'cause I know a lot of a lot of other Polynesians they might not get the same support, you know, coming from the islands.
"But my family is like my main drive and they're always at my meet, supporting and knowing that they're in the stands cheering for me.
"Usually, I don't hear anything when I'm racing. But as soon as I'm off the track, they all come swarm me and it just makes me so happy to see that my hard work is being watched, and they're able to see my success. We all get to enjoy it and embrace the moment."
Laiana is excited about opportunities to represent her Polynesian links and will make that decision when the time comes.