For a self-confessed chilled-out Pacific islander, coming to terms with short-course swimming chaos has been a steep learning curve for Guam’s Manami Iijima.

We caught up with the Team World Triathlon athlete at the end of the 2025 season to catch up on a whirlwind rise through the sport to the biggest start line of them all.

From the development of triathlon in the Pacific region to the tough realities of learning the artform, the country's first ever Olympic triathlete rewinds over a fast-track route to Paris 2024 and her journey through the anxiety of an Olympic debut. Hear about those first international races as a wide-eyed solo traveller and the secret power of not over-thinking... and proudly representing a vast-yet-tiny corner of the Oceania continent.

>> The Lava Song (sadly without Manami's ukelele)