Silver medallist, Elizabeth Hewitt at Pacific Games. Photo: Laura Overton, The New Zealand Team
Teenage hammer thrower Elizabeth Hewitt hopes the her first medal for New Zealand is the first of many.
The 19-year-old Hewitt has won a silver medal at the Pacific Games in the Solomon Islands, with a throw of 53.79 metres.
"It was such an amazing experience. The support was just unreal, and I feel very privileged to stand up there and win the first medal for athletics."
The New Zealand team has already claimed one gold, three silvers and one bronze after day two in athletics so far.
The Ngāti Kahungunu athlete says, "representing my whānau and New Zealand has been awesome. I felt very proud."
Going into the Games, Hewitt knew she was in a comfortable medal position, "it felt good to know that I was sitting at the top of the pool."
"My goal was to throw a personal best or near to my personal best."
The hammer thrower was a metre and a half shy of her personal best of 55.35 metres with Deborah Bulai from Fiji winning gold with a throw of 58.33 metres.
Hewitt begun track and field at the age of 9, competing at the Mana club in Wellington and has gone on to win four national titles.
Hewitt also competes in aerobic gymnastics which she began at the age of eleven.
Photo: Elizabeth Hewitt
Elizabeth Hewitt, Aerobic Gymnastics.
"Both athletics and sports aerobic seasons are opposite. They complement each other."
"When I picked up the hammer the rhythm and technique came natural to me."
However, the multi-talented athlete says she does find it difficult to balance both trainings sometimes.
"Getting through a big training block for hammer and then going to try feel fresh bouncy for aerobics can be difficult, but I seem to be managing alright."
"Alright" is seemingly an understatement, with Hewitt had recently qualifying for the Sports Aerobics and Fitness World Championships in Germany this year.
Unfortunately, due to a hamstring injury had to pull out to in the lead up to the Pacific Games.
Hewitt is now focusing on qualifying for the Oceania Championships next year in Fiji and then making the 2026 Commonwealth Games and ultimatley the Olympics.