Rita_Fatialofa
Rita Fatialofa-Paloto
New Zealand netball and softball player
Rita Taimalietane Fatialofa-Patolo MNZM (née Fatialofa, born 1963) is a Samoan sportsperson who played netball and softball for New Zealand.[1]
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| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
Representing  New Zealand | ||
| Women's netball | ||
| World Championships | ||
 | 1983 Singapore | Team |
 | 1987 Glasgow | Team |
| World Games | ||
| 1989 Karlsruhe | Team |
| Women's softball | ||
| World Championships | ||
| 1982 Taipei | Team |
Fatialofa-Patolo attended Lynfield College in Auckland.[2]
She played for the New Zealand national netball team, the Silver Ferns, from 1982 to 1989. While able to play the shooting circle, her specialised position was wing-attack. She retired after the 1989 World Games where New Zealand defeated Australia in the final. Fatialofa-Patolo later coached the Samoan national netball team at the 1991 and 1995 Netball World Championships.[3] In 1999, she was inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame,[4] and was also included in Netball New Zealand's all-time Dream Team.[5] In softball, she was a member of the team that won the 1982 ISF World Championship in Taipei, defeating the host nation in the final.[4]
In the 2014 New Year Honours, Fatialofa-Patolo was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to sport.[6]
- "Trailblazers – Prominent New Zealand Sportswomen". Sound Archives (Radio New Zealand). Archived from the original on 3 July 2007.
- Reidy, Jade (2013). Not Just Passing Through: the Making of Mt Roskill (2nd ed.). Auckland: Puketāpapa Local Board. p. 98. ISBN 978-1-927216-97-2. OCLC 889931177. Wikidata Q116775081.
- "New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame profile: Rita Fatialofa". Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 18 March 2010.
- Netball New Zealand. "History of netball in New Zealand". Retrieved 18 March 2010.
- "New Year honours list 2014". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 31 December 2013. Retrieved 12 January 2018.