PENIAMINA: A boy from Fale’ula determined to chase his dream.
Peniamina Matale Fili:
“Be focused and always stay positive, as once you reach the finishing line, there is something higher for you to achieve next,”
By NAH FOLASA
Feature photo by Areta Jr Areta.
Benjamin Matale Fili is a young man from Faleula, who is determined to become a bodybuilder despite the many challenges that coming from a small island nation with limited resources brings.
Benjamin is the oldest of his siblings to his most loyal fans, his father Petaia and his mother Siuli of Faleula. They encourage him to carry on in the sport.
Benjamin works at Maali Company Ltd, he combines the job and the training because his dream and his hope for bodybuilding has always been there since he was a boy.
Benjamin first competed in the Mr. Samoa title in 2017. Being the eldest of his two siblings, he always believed that making use of his talent was the only way forward for him.
“I played rugby as a kid along with other sports. When I was running I enjoyed it but I had no coach.”
He wanted to see how far he could go in sports.
“As a student, I was not strong academically but I knew that God gave me a talent that should I make use of and the only way to appreciate those gifts is to make use of them or else they will be taken away from me,” he said.
“You don’t have to be smart but you just have to use the talents God gave you.”
The 25 year old hails from the villages of Faleula, Satuiatua and Neiafu.
“I’m now doing body building and I hope to become a professional body builder.”
He encourages young athletes to keep chasing their dreams and not to give up easily.
“Be focused and always stay positive, as once you reach the finishing line, there is something higher for you to achieve next,” he added.
He was the 2017 Mr Samoa body building champion and he also reached the title of Mr. American Samoa in 2018. At the 2018 Pacific Competition held in Cook Island Benjamin won the silver medal.
All this from a young man who entered a gym for the first time in his life less the 3 years ago in 2016.
Benjamin said, “The first time I entered in a gym to train for a competition I almost gave up, I thought it was a joke, but it wasn’t”
In the early days his passion for irons started at home by lifting weights, training in the morning and in the evening time every day.
Benjamin say that he hopes to compete internationally and he is willing to put in the hard work.
The body building celebrity he admires the most is legend Arnold Schwarzenegger.
“An advice I can tell is; Do not give up easily, because the transformation of the body it is not going to take one day or just one week, it could take a long time, but the commitment is the good thing to achieve all your goals”