Māori Television:
Westlake Girls’ volleyball player Tamara Otene has qualified for the Youth Olympics after taking out gold at the U19 Oceania Youth Qualifiers in Australia. Now she has her sights set on the Olympics.
16-year-old Tamara Otene is on her way to her biggest competition yet.
Otene says “Honestly, my mind was just blank I was just so happy that the game was over and just so happy that we won and that we get to go.”
Otene and New Plymouth partner Maya Dickson successfully claimed gold and their ticket to Buenos Aires after beating out Australia’s tournament favourites with two sets to none. The promising volleyball star says it’s just the beginning.
“It was an awesome experience, I really enjoyed it. My partner and I Maya celebrated and had a good time. Youth Olympics is a start and hopefully I can get to the Olympics one day.”
It’s not the first time Otene has represented her country on the world stage, last year Otene competed in the NZ Worlds for Badminton.
“World’s was an awesome experience. That’s how I got use to the people watching and the big crowds.”
This week she looks to build on her victory alongside her school team as they prepare for the NZ Secondary School Volleyball champs in Palmerston North.
“We just came out with the Auckland Champs win last weekend and hoping to grab the national title so will see how that goes.”
The Youth Olympics begin in October where she’ll be digging to make her mark on the world stage.