He was only five-years-old when he started fire-knife dancing, a skill passed from a father to a son. On Saturday night, 19-year-old Eti Herold Lesoa of Siumu showed why he was the best.

He clinched the title for the 22nd Siva Afi International competition winning $10,000. 

He has also earned a spot to compete in the Siva Afi World Championship which will be hosted in Hawaii around May. I

Eti said there are no words to describe how he feels about his performance and was looking forward to representing his village, family, and Samoa at the World Championship.

"I am very happy and I don't know if there's any word that could explain or describe the feelings that I have at the moment. The importance of having this talent is to help with our future. If all else fails, we have our talents to help us find a future. I really look forward to the World Championship next year," he said.

"I started learning about fire-knife dancing through my father at the age of five. And as I grew, I started dancing at hotels in our village like the Coconut Beach and Sinalei Resort. 

"My first ever competition was here at Siva Afi when they were at Matautu, this was 2018. I won that competition and it was also my last one as a Junior. This is my third competition, I competed last year but I came third. So winning is definitely a step forward for me and my talent."

Eti said that he will not stop, he will continue to pursue his fire-knife dancing career as he sees a future for him in it. He encourages the youth of Samoa to put their talent to good use and to help their families.