Maka Unufe: Mormon Athlete
Kiai Keomaka "Maka" Unufe is a rugby player with the United States national rugby sevens team. He competed in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The 1924 Olympic Games was the last time that rugby was included in the event lineup. Then it was a 15-player team event. In 2016, teams consisting of seven players create an intense, quick competition. In the preliminaries at the 2016 Olympic Games, the USA Rugby team lost to Argentina and Fiji, while beating Brazil in the semifinals. They beat Spain 24-12 to place ninth overall.
Unufe was selected for the squad competing in the 2024 Paris Olympics. The team made it to the quarterfinals and lost 18-0 to Australia on Saturday, July 27, then moved to the 5-8 place bracket. However, France went on to win gold and Fiji the silver. In the bronze-medal match, South Africa beat Australia. Unufe, a wing, played in just about every match.[1]
Unufe is a former Provo High School football star (Utah). He switched to rugby after he dropped out of high school and joined the United Rugby Club and Utah Warriors. He then played or the Eagles’ sevens team and made his debut in the 2011 Pan American Games. He made his Sevens World Series debut at the 2012 Wellington Sevens.
Unufe is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He and his wife, Rebecca, are the parents of three children.
