‍Sereana Salalo/PACNEWS

He made his Olympic debut at 39-years-old and is the oldest participant at the Olympic Games Paris 2024.

The Melbourne, Australia-based athlete proudly represented his small nation of Samoa at the pinnacle of sporting events.

Tai Tin was inspired by his children who did the sport before him; his almost 18-year-old son Ethan and daughter Lily, 16.  

He initially started Judo for health and lifestyle reasons, later pursued competitive Judo, and has been committed to the sport since then.  

He competed in the Men’s 73kg match and lost to Tanzania’s Andrew Thomas Mlugu at Champ-de-Mars Arena.  

“It was a tough match, you can’t take anything for granted – it's the Olympics,” he said.  

“I went out there and feel like I gave it my all and I hope the Pacific is proud of how we are going out there.  

“It’s one of those down feelings but I am happy that I can represent our island, as Judo is not an easy sport.”

Tai Tin admitted that three or four years of training for the Olympic Games can be over in a matter of moments.

“I wasn’t looking after my health back then. When I started Judo, I was about 121kg; as cliche as it sounds Judo saved my life really,” he said.  

"My kids push me. They are the ones who inspired me to start Judo, they’ve been doing it much longer than I do.  

“Nothing is impossible if you put in the hard work.  

“My recovery might be longer than some of these younger athletes but when we’re out on that mat we’re equal.

“I just hope that my kids will be here one day, and I also want to see the next generation of islanders whether it’s from Samoa, Guam or American Samoa compete at this level.

“Hopefully I can do my little part to inspire them and go on from there.”

Tai Tin added that he would not be at the Olympics without the support of the people around him; he is grateful to his family, coach Ivo Dos Santos, his training partners, the Taketani and Senshi Judo academies in Melbourne, Australia.