Savusavu teen, Tolu ‘the Tadruku’ Young led Curtis High School to win their first Washington State 4A Championships in 30 years.
16 year old Tolu’s mother, Morika Hunter says her son has been training and competing in the US for over 6 months due to COVID and pool closures in Fiji.
She says Tolu took 1st place in the 50 metres freestyle, 2nd in the 100 metres freestyle and swam in two relay events where they were also placed 1st.
The proud mother says in just 9 months, Tolu has starred in Water Polo, earning selection into a Junior Olympic training squad, as well as smashing through some long held Fiji swimming records.
Hunter further says Tolu’s latest times from the USA State Championship meet puts him squarely in the running for selection to the Fijian national team, as they prepare for the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. She says his official time in the 50 metres freestyle is 20.46 seconds which is the 4th fastest time in Washington State history while his 100 metres freestyle time of 45.14 seconds is the 7th fastest.
Hunter says Tolu’s times, when adjusted from yards to metres, breaks Fiji’s swimming records. Speaking through his mother, Tolu says when he was young, his cousins and family would take him out to the island close to home and get Tadruku which is a type of sea snail, which he really enjoyed.
He says one day, the family was together watching a documentary about Olympic skier Eddie the Eagle, and his family, quickly concluded that his swim nickname would be ‘Tolu the Tadruku’ and it just stuck.
Tolu will be seen swimming in the TYR Pro Series event in San Antonio, Texas.
The event is regularly used by the US Olympians as a qualifying event to the FINA World Championships.
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