Daunivalu eyes international experience at Youth Olympics

Fifteen-year-old Nyssa Daunivalu of St Joseph’s Secondary School is looking forward to gaining valuable international experience as she prepares to represent Fiji in basketball at the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal.

Daunivalu, who began playing basketball at the age of seven, said she was grateful for the opportunity to compete on a bigger stage and test herself against players from other countries.

“This is my first time playing in something this big, and I’m excited to go with my friends and some of the girls I know,” the Gau, Lomaiviti, lass said.

“I’m also looking forward to gaining exposure, experiencing what it’s like to play against other countries and seeing what the competition is like.”

Daunivalu’s basketball journey began at a camp in New York before she moved to Australia, where she started playing in club and school competitions.

She later represented the team from the area where she lived in Geneva, winning a tournament in the under-14 grade.

Her first opportunity to represent Fiji came last year, following her return to the country in December to join the under-17 team.

Daunivalu said preparations for Dakar were progressing well, with her teammates travelling to Suva last week to join the squad and build combinations through regular training sessions.

“We’ve mostly been having morning training sessions, as well as gym work, track sessions and exercising together,” she said.

Balancing training with school commitments has also been part of the challenge for the Year 10 student.

“Since training started, I’ve been arriving at school pretty late, but it hasn’t been too bad. After training, I go straight home, shower and get everything ready. I usually prepare my things the night before,” she said.

“I expect there to be a lot of competition, with tall and big opponents, but I’m excited to go out there, showcase our talent and experience playing overseas,” she said.

Beyond the Youth Olympics, Daunivalu hopes to take her basketball career further by pursuing opportunities to study and play in the United States.

“I would like to play overseas, particularly in America. I’d like to apply for a college there when I’m older and hopefully play in the WNBA one day,” she said.

Other members of the Team Fiji women’s 3x3 basketball team are Anasofaia Maiwiriwiri, Makaefa Savu and Zara Suka.

The Summer Youth Olympic Games will be held from October 31 to November 13. Team Fiji will leave on October 26.