Tumua anae biography

When Tumua Anae turned eight-years-old, she began swimming competitively and dreaming of becoming an Olympian. In 2012, that dream came true, except that she is competing on the 2012 London Olympics Water Polo Team. Her sophomore year at Corona Del Mar High School in Newport Beach, California, she decided swimming was boring, although she still loved being in the water every day, so she took up water polo instead, at the urging of friends. Her sister also switched to water polo. She showed a natural talent for the sport and 2005 and 2006 she was part of the CIF  Water Polo Champions Division II and in 2004 and 2006 she was part of the CIF Swimming Champions Div II.

Tumua Anae, who is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and is therefore sometimes referred to as a Mormon, comes from an athletic family. Her grandparents expected her father to go to the Olympics someday. He became a doctor instead. Her sister played water polo in college and is the wife of Indianapolis Colts defensive tackle Fili Moala, who is also Mormon. Her Olympic coach says that one thing that stands out about Tumua is that she puts her family before sports, a principle Mormons are taught early on. While her sports are important, they are just games.

“Anae is the only Mormon on her team, and she said that her team is well aware of her religious beliefs.

“When we go out on a team trip and go out and they drink after a game win or big tournament they say, ‘Oh yeah, Tumua can’t come, she’s Mormon,’ or, ‘Tumua you can’t watch — this movie is bad and you’re Mormon,’ but they all respect that and I’m used to that,” Anae said” (Water polo goalie and Mormon Tumua Anae a candidate for 2012 USA Olympic team By Tori Ackerman, Deseret News Published: Wednesday, March 28 2012 5:00 a.m. MDT)

After high school, Tunua went on to play water hockey at the University of Southern C

Tumua Anae is an Olympic gold medalist, having assisted her women’s water polo team win the first-ever American gold medal in the event at the 2012 Summer Olympics held in London, England. She is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Anae was born on October 16, 1988, Honolulu, Hawaii, and started swimming competitively at eight-years-old. After she found swimming boring, she switched to water polo and played on the water polo team at Corona del Mar High School where she was named CIF Division II Co-Player of the year her senior year. She then played for the University of Southern California and was an All-American and NCAA champion. Although she was injured in the 2009 season, she played for the remainder of the season. She was named to the All-American first team, the All-MPSF first team, and the NCAA All-Tournament team. During 2010 she was a first team All-American for the third year in a row. She was named the MPSF Player of the Year. She concluded her college career with 714 saves, the most in USC history.

In 2010, she joined the United States national water polo team playing backup goalie, a position she played in the 2011 FINA World League Super Final and the 2011 Pan American Games (her team won gold). She retired from competition soon after the Olympics. In 2014, she married Futi Tavana, a US men’s volleyball player. They are the parents of one daughter.

Tumua Anae

Tumua Anae is a water polo player who has competed for the United States. She competed at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games. She was the backup goalie of the team during the 2012 Summer Olympics, but did not play in any of the matches.

Olympic Results[]

2012[]

American water polo goalkeeper

Tumuaialii "Tumua" Anae (born October 16, 1988) is an American water polo goalkeeper. She was an NCAA champion and All-American while playing for the University of Southern California. She also won a gold medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics with the United States national team.

Career

High school

Anae played on the water polo team at Corona del Mar High School. She was named the CIF Division II Co-Player of the Year in her senior year.

College

Anae started her college career at the University of Southern California in 2007. That season, she had 89 saves and allowed 67 goals.

The following year, Anae had 232 saves and allowed 120 goals. Her 4.6 goals against per game was the best in the MPSF. She was named to the All-American first team, the All-MPSF first team, and the NCAA All-Tournament team.

Anae was injured early in the 2009 season. She returned to make 123 saves in 12 appearances. In a match against Arizona State, she set the USC single-game saves record with 20. She was again named to the All-American first team, the All-MPSF first team, and the NCAA All-Tournament team.

In 2010, Anae was a first team All-American for the third straight year. She had 270 saves to set the single-season record at USC, and she helped the team win the NCAA championship. She was also named the MPSF Player of the Year. Anae ended her career at USC with 714 saves, the most in school history.

International

Anae joined the U.S. national water polo team in 2010. She was a backup goalie during the Americans' gold medal runs in the 2011 FINA World League Super Final and 2011 Pan American Games. She won the gold medal with the U.S. at the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Personal

Anae was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, on October 16, 1988, and resides in Newport Beach, California. Her sister, Jordan, also played for the USC water po