Five local wrestlers competed in the Down Under wrestling tournament last week in Auckland, New Zealand.  Seventeen year old Samson Vailahi (162lbs. class), Visesio Mafi (120lbs class) who is only 13 years old, 17 year old Ielome Matatia(182lbs class) along with twin brothers, 18 year olds John Scanlan (132lbs class) and James Scanlan (138lbs class) were able to catch the last part of the tournament that began in Australia and ended in New Zealand.

The wrestlers, who wrestled out of the American Samoa Amateur Wrestling Association (ASAWA), had been fundraising for the trip since last year, according to ASAWA National Greco Wrestling Coach Zena Noah Iese. “We were the smallest country there, going up against wrestlers from Australia, New Zealand and the United States,” said Iese.

“The tournament also had the coaches coaching other wrestlers from different countries to get a feel of what it would be like to coach someone from another country. Our wrestlers gained a lot of experience at this tournament and even impressed the coaches from other countries,” he said, adding that they have been invited to attend more wrestling tournaments in the United States.

Iese also said that Samson, who earned the Team MVP award, defeated a wrestler from Australia, one from New Zealand and four from powerhouse United States.

“We may of been the smallest country there, but we definitely impressed everyone. We will be going back again next year. We are definitely on our way up in wrestling in American Samoa,” he explained.

He said that he would like to thank chaperone Robert Gebauer who was crucial in helping out with the wrestlers and assisting them with things that they should be doing.

He also stated that there was very generous donation made by a "Mr. Stewart" during the team's departure day from American Samoa. He said that Mr. Stewart is a patron of the fishing industry here in American Samoa.

“I want to thank everyone who helped out with everything in getting these wrestlers ready for this trip. A special thank you goes out to the parents and everyone else for their support,” he said.

Team American Samoa ended up with one gold, one silver and two bronze medals. Samson Vailahi earned a gold, a silver and a bronze, while teammate Visesio Mafi earned a bronze. Samoa News will be keeping track of the American Samoa wrestlers as they continue to train for upcoming tournaments.