Commonwealth Games swimming gold medallist, Ryan Pini has never regretted choosing to represent Papua New Guinea over Australia.
Pini was born in Papua New Guinea and lived there for 18 years. His parents do not have any Papua New Guinea blood but have ties to Australia. He lives mostly in Australia, training in Brisbane.
“There’s a much greater feeling with Papua New Guinea, I’ll always consider it my home,” he said.
“There is just a big difference between Australia and Papua New Guinea. I consider myself from PNG. It would not be the same representing Australia because the support I have experienced from my Papua New Guinea family is far greater.”
Pini is currently preparing to defend his mens 100 butterfly Commonwealth Games gold medal and says this time around it will not be a stroll in the park.
“A lot has changed since winning that medal. For one thing I have had to get over some injuries and sicknesses but overall my preparations are on track and I am shining through.”
The highlight of his swimming career was making the finals in the 100m butterfly at the 2008 Summer Olympics. He placed eight but swimming alongside American big fish Michael Phelps will be a memory he will carry with him for the rest of his life.
“Making the finals was one thing, a huge thing for me but swimming alongside Michael was the icing on the cake for me.”
Pini took a break from swimming for a year in 2002 but made his comeback in the 2003 South Pacific Games in Fiji when he won seven gold medals.
He finds motivation in watching young swimmers enjoy a sport that he knows is lonely.
“Swimming is a lonely sport, you can’t talk to the swimmers in the other lanes during a race and training in itself is done alone. I do my best, its really hard having to train during winter but you just have to go in there and do it.”
“It’s motivating for me to see more young people take up the sport and enjoy it.”
The 29 year-old is in Fiji to be the chief guest at the Fiji Association of Sports and National Olympic Committee’s annual sports awards tonight.
FASANOC president Vidhya Lakhan praised Pini for his achievement saying he had proven to the Pacific that world recognition in sports is possible.
“He is a leading example of what islanders can achieve.”
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