BY JOY OFASIA
LOCAL athlete Delmay Waihaho will be making her second Pacific Games appearance after being selected as part of the team for Honiara 2023.
The 25-year-old Solomon Islands Footballer is not a new face in the team, she made her first appearance in the country’s women’s national football team in 2019 Pacific Games in Apia, Samoa.
She is now in preparations with the women’s national squad for the OFC Women’s Nations Cup 2022 on July in Fiji.
Delmay was introduced to football in 2016, since then felt connected to the world’s most loved sports and later joined the country’s women national team in 2018.
“In 2018, I was selected to join the women football national squad to participate in the OFC Women’s Nations Cup in Fiji and was very excited because this was a dream come true for me having the opportunity to play and to represent the country at such regional level.
“At this point we just have to perform our best football, regardless of who we face. We will fight as a team with all players and to score as many goals as possible.
“Being part of team of young, experience and determine footballers, for sure my hope is to win a medal for the country and it all starts with trusting each other, working hard as a team and individual, discipline and not forgetting putting God first in all we do as a team,” Delmay who is from Makira and Malaita told Solomon Women.
Although faced with personal challenges, she now more determined to concentrate on balancing her academic studies and preparations for the next year’s Pacific Games.
“I am currently in my second year undergoing plumbing studies at the Solomon Islands National University (SINU) and also looking forward to complete the trades program in the next two years.
“However, my main challenge is to balance my studies with my preparation trainings. I am often hit with tiredness after my training sessions, and has caused me to spend less time on my studies.
“For now, I have managed to ensure my academic goals are equally balanced with my aspirations to be part of Solomon Islands National Women Football squad,” she said.
