Beatrice Faumuina nearly quit the discus throw after the 1996 Atlanta Olympics - and a year later became New Zealand’s first world track and field champion.
The four-time Olympian and New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame inductee in 2019 heads the list of top sportspeople receiving a King’s Birthday Honour, made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (CNZM) for services to sport and governance.
Faumuina was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) in 2005.
Coached by Les Mills, the former Commonwealth Games shot put champion and Auckland mayor, Faumuina had her crowning moment in 1997 when she beat Ellina Zvereva of Belarus for the world discus title in Athens.
She had been talked out of quitting by her mother, Roini, after finishing 23rd in Atlanta, and re-set for Athens with Roini cheering her on for the first time at a big overseas event.
