Judoka William Tai Tin is ready to give his everything when he walks onto the mat in his first-ever Olympic Games event on 29 July.

Tai Tin is competing in the 73kg division and will travel to Paris on 21 July. 

"This is my first Olympics and the ultimate goal is to come away with the prize, a gold. I might be an overwhelming underdog but it wouldn't be very athletesque of me to say that I was here for the participation. I'll be giving everything I have, that's for sure," he said.

"In Judo, nothing is guaranteed except your first round so while the eye might be on the prize, my focus is on the first fight. The rest will take care of itself. Preparations have been good and challenging. Like so many athletes competing at the Paris Olympics, the journey started years ago so it's surreal that we're just over a week away from it commencing.

"The last few years have seen me travel a lot, meaning time away from home, to various parts of Europe and Asia to compete, train and ready myself for Paris. The body is still together, it's where it needs to be and that's all I could hope for going into the games."

William Tai Tin's parents are both from Samoa, his mother is from the village of Siumu and his father from Manono. When his judo journey started, he never had any plans of representing a nation.

He could not resist a golden opportunity when it came knocking on his door.

"I originally had no plans to represent Samoa or any country for that fact when I started Judo. Judo was a passion born out of a need to be a better person, to live better and it evolved into an opportunity to utilise the wider community for future developments of the sport in Samoa and abroad," he said.

"I have always been a proud Samoan so when the opportunity presented itself to represent at the highest level, I welcomed the invite to not only mix it with the best but to commence building networks that could help foster and nurture future athletes."

He also reminisces on some of his fondest memories from Samoa, and he is very proud of his upbringing and the nation that he represents.

"The fondest memories of Samoa are actually of those moments created with my children, Lily and Ethan. Whether it be from the humble preparation of meals in our villages to the singing, dancing and appreciation of the natural beauty of Samoa, their first-hand experience of seeing and sharing our way of life, is a nod to the past, present and future," said Tai Tin.

"I've been blessed to see them grow up proud of where they come from and want to embrace what it means to be a Samoan and a Pacific Islander in this day and age."

The Judoka believes that Judo has taught him so much about himself. He said that winning doesn't reveal character but the struggles show how resilient and humble a person can be.

He is happy to share this Olympic journey with his cousin Tupuola Ato Plodzicki who will be representing Samoa in boxing.

In a Facebook post, former Judo Olympian Ben Percival wished William Tai Tin well on his first Olympics and expressed how proud he is of his journey.