Dolores Tuimoloau (born May 29, 1976 – February 19, 2011) was an American Samoan athlete, primarily known for throwing events. She represented American Samoa at the 1995 Pacific Ocean Games, earning a silver medal in the shot put, the only such medal for her country.

Tuimoloau grew up in Oxnard, California. Since the age of 9, she excelled in basketball because she was always the largest in her class, a trend that brought her to the height of 310 pounds by the age of 18. She eventually played for Channel Islands High School where she was All-County in basketball. Looking for a sport to play in the springtime, she thought she would play softball but a friend invited her to try out for the track team. The first time she threw a shot put, it went . She continued to improve, by her senior year she set the Ventura County record in both the shot put at and the discus at . She won the 1994 CIF California State Meet in the shot put, beating her nearest competitor by almost two feet. A week later, she won the Golden West Invitational. She was touted as a potential Olympian while she attended Ventura College, but became academically ineligible while taking care of her father who suffered a massive heart attack at age 40. Returning to school, she set the still standing school records in both shot put and discus in 1996. She continued her education in Criminal Justice at California State University, Los Angeles. She eventually settled in Eureka, California.

Dolores Tuimoloau

References

1976 births

2011 deaths

American Samoan female shot putters

American Samoan discus throwers

Track and field athletes from California

Female discus throwers

Sportspeople from Oxnard, California

21st-century American women

Dolores Tuimoloau