‘Mushroom’ Still Running Strong At 66
Abfalter wins gold in pole vault
It was an emotional moment for veteran marathon runner Shiri ‘Mushroom’ Chand after he got his gold medal for being the oldest athlete to run in the 5000 metres Masters’ event.
The 66-year-old, Batinikama native from Labasa said it was an honour to receive such recognition by the Oceania Athletics Association.
“I would like to thank Oceania Athletics Association for recognising my contribution to the country through athletics,” Chand said.
“While running my race my only aim was to finish the face and not win any medal which I’ve accomplished. I feel really excited to participate in this championship which I am very grateful for.
Chand said he first started running in 1970 and went on to represent the country at the 1979 South Pacific Games in Suva. “From then I continued to represent Fiji in the long distance events. In 1989, I was awarded the best Sportsman of the Year.” Chand said the secret behind his fitness was the continuous training sessions.
“I would say my greatest strength for being fit and being able to still compete at this age is that I never stopped training from the moment I first participated in athletics.
“I first took part in athletics when I was just 12 years old and have also competed in many local and international marathon events. Also, I’m looking forward to running again tomorrow in the Olympic Day Run event at Albert Park and on Saturday I will be participating in the 10,000 metres event”
First timer Australia’s Kate Abfalter was thrilled after she won gold in the women’s Under-20 pole vault event during the Oceania Athletics Championship at the ANZ Stadium, Suva yesterday.
The 17-year-old jumped 3.40metres and was grateful for the opportunity to represent her country.
“It feels amazing to have won gold as I had always dreamt of representing my country for so long and I actually couldn’t believe when I finally got the opportunity,” she said.
“Personally, I had put a lot of hardwork in training for this event and it feels soo satisfying to see that it was all paid off. I’ve been taking part in this event for the past six years and for this championship I’ve been training for almost five months now.”
Abfalter hopes to better her performance and continue representing her country in athletics. “This is my first time in Fiji and I really enjoy the hospitality by the people here which is very welcoming,” she added. It was a surprising win for Stephanie Scigala of Australia when she scooped a gold medal in the women’s Under-18 discus event at the Oceania Athletics Championship in Suva on Wednesday night.
The 16-year-old threw a distance of 40.39 metres followed by Rochelle Vidler who settled for silver with a distance of 39.57m while Imogen Taylor got bronze.
Despite winning the event Scigala said she could have performed better.
“It feels very great to have won gold for my country but I wasn’t particularly happy with the way I threw as I felt it was not enough and I could have done better,” she said.
“I wasn’t really expecting to win as I was focused on getting exposure and better my performance. This is also my first time participating in the Oceania Athletics Championship.
“I would like to thank my mum and dad, also to my coach for their endless support with the preparations prior to this championship. I’m also looking forward to participating in my second event and hopefully win another gold medal for Australia.”