Congratulations to Kirsten Fisher-Marsters who has been selected to represent Cook Islands at April’s Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.
Kirsten was Deputy Head Girl in 2015 and has since led a very busy life, working and training, and making the most of opportunities. This includes being a Finalist in the Miss Auckland in 2017, working as a stunt woman, and media work.
Kirsten has been selected as one of three swimmers to compete in the 50m and 100m Breaststroke event.
We wish her all the very best for this incredible challenge and hope she succeeds in her ambition to represent the Cook Islands in the 2019 Pacific Games and the 2020 Olympics.
Sport: Cook Islands select 18 for Commonwealth Games
˜ 19 February 2018, RadioNZ.co.nz
Sprinter Patricia Taea headlines an 18 strong Cook Islands delegation to compete at April’s Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.
The 24-year-old, who won gold in the 200m at December’s Pacific Mini Games, will reprise her role as flag bearer during the opening ceremony.
“It was a tough decision to select from our athletes given that all athletes performed well over the benchmark,” Chef de Mission John Paul Wilson said.
“Patty as we all know her by was selected on her achievement in 2017 after she attended the 2017 Pacific Mini Games which she made history for the Cook Islands in winning the first ever Gold medal in the Womens 200m in an event that we know is heavily dominated by the Melanesian countries.
“She also went on to win a silver medal in the Womens 100m and she also broke the Cook Islands National record in November 2017, before the Mini Games with a time of 11.97 seconds, first female to break the 12 second barrier.”
800m runner Alex Beddoes is also back for a second Commonwealth Games, while veteran discus thrower Tereapii Tapoki will compete in her first since 2006.
Swimmers Wesley Roberts, Temaruata Strickland, Kirsten Fisher-Marsters will represent the Cook Islands in the pool. with Philippa Woonton and Luisa Peters taking part in the weightlifting competition and a ten-strong lineup selected in lawn bowls.
Team Cook Islands:
Athletics
Tereapii Tapoki, Patricia Taea, Alex Beddoes
Coaches – Anthony Fairweather and Keith Roberts
Swimming
Wesley Roberts, Temaruata Strickland, Kirsten Fisher-Marsters
Lawn Bowls
Womens Team – Nooroa Mataio, Tiare Jim, Emily Jim, Tai Jim, Jacqueline Purea
Mens Team – Adoni Wichman-Rairoa, Aidan Zittersteijn, Munokokura Pita, Taiki Paniani, Lawrence Paniani
Weightlifting
Philippa Woonton, Luisa Peters
Swimmer selected for Commonwealth Games
˜ 2 March 2018, PCTimes.co.nz
Each year Maraetai’s Kirsten Marsters-Fisher swims the equivalent of crossing the Tasman Sea and a quarter of the way back again. Kirsten was recently announced as one of three swimmers to represent the Cook Islands at the next Commonwealth Games.
Kirsten will compete in the 50m and 100m breaststroke events at the Games, to be held 4-15 April 2018 on the Gold Coast.
Recent experience at the World Indoor Games held in Turkmenistan has aided Kirsten’s preparation, as has a Commonwealth training camp where swimmers from Oceania trained with Australian Olympic coaches. “It was a great opportunity to learn from them,” says Kirsten.
“The Australian swimming facilities are amazing.”
Kirsten originally learned to swim at Formosa where her mother, Karen, was a swim coach.
Karen says that since then she has spent “a few early mornings sleeping inside the car outside Pakuranga College while Kirsten trains. I’m sure passers-by think I’m homeless!”
Swim training involves Kirsten spending 18 hours each week in the pool. She also trains at the gym 3 times each week.
Kirsten has swum competitively for the past 10 years and holds the Counties Manukau 50m breaststroke record.
The former deputy-head girl at Botany Downs Secondary College also has a string of achievements out of the water.
She was a finalist in last year’s Miss Auckland competition. “They asked me to enter and my sister encouraged me. She said I needed to be more girly!” says Kirsten. “I even learned to walk in heels! I was a bit of a girl for a few months, then I put the sneakers back on.”
After passing her final NCEA exams with excellence, Kirsten was accepted into all the university degree courses she applied for.
“Then she surprised us by deciding she would like to become a police officer!” says mum Karen.
Perhaps fortunately, Kirsten was faced with the choice of six months at police training college or focussing on her swimming. The swimming won out.
Kirsten juggles swim training with her job at Hyundai, a position she took on as part of her involvement in the Pinnacle Mentoring Programme. The Pinnacle programme is offered to talented New Zealanders aged between 15-18, providing leadership skills and mentoring to help them build a foundation for success. Kirsten is in her fifth year of the programme which has given her the opportunity to go on the Spirit of Adventure and Outward Bound. She is one of only five young New Zealanders to be selected for stage 3 of the programme where participants are assisted by a personal mentor.
With the commonwealth games just over a month away, Kirsten says she is experiencing some nerves but on the whole is looking forward to the challenge. “It’s been a long process and a lot of hard work for both myself and my family,” says Kirsten.
“It’s my opportunity to make my family, the Cook Islands and my coaches proud, and to do well. I’m aiming for some personal bests.”