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| Human Interest | |
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Further Personal Information | |
| Residence | United States |
| Higher education | Media Studies - Texas A&M University: College Station, TX, USA |
Sport Specific Information | |
| Why this sport? | After his father bought a boat his mother decided that he needed to learn to swim. "My mother wanted us to learn just in case anything happened when we went out to sea in a boat." |
General Interest | |
| Hero / Idol | US tennis player Serena Williams. (Athlete, 03 Aug 2016) |
Sport Specific Information | |
| When and where did you begin this sport? | He took up swimming at age seven at Roskill Swim Club in Auckland, New Zealand. He began competing in races at age nine in Auckland, New Zealand. |
General Interest | |
| Other information | EARLY DAYS Born to a Tongan father and English mother, he grew up in Auckland, New Zealand. "My father had been whispering in my ear, 'Swim for Tonga.' There were no water safety programmes or swim lessons being offered at the time in Tonga. The Tonga Swimming Association was established in 2010 and I was cleared to swim for them internationally." (tongamaatonga.to, 07 Feb 2020; matangitonga.to, 02 Aug 2016) |
| Awards and honours | He was Tonga's flag bearer at the opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Games in London. (matangitonga.to, 02 Aug 2016) |
Further Personal Information | |
| Occupation | Athlete |
| Languages | English |
General Interest | |
| Nicknames | The Tongan Tiger (aminifonua.typepad.com, 01 Jan 2016) |
| Injuries | In February 2016 he suffered from a bacterial growth in his small intestine. The issue continued for a couple of months before an acupuncturist cured him of his problem. (Athlete, 03 Aug 2016) |
International Debut | |
| Year | 2010 |
General Interest | |
| Sporting philosophy / motto | "Compete, enjoy and do your best." (Athlete, 03 Aug 2016) |