Team finishes strongly

FIJI won a bronze medal in the 4x400m men’s relay on Friday as the curtains fell on the 2022 Oceania Athletics Championship in Mackay, Queensland.

The win sees the FMF-sponsored Athletics Fiji team win one gold and three bronze medals during the four-day competition.

Most of the athletes made their international debut at the championship. Pacific sprint king and senior member Banuve Tabakaucoro said he was happy to see the drive and passion of these young athletes and it showed in the way they competed.

Nadroga native Waisale Inoke was the first to win a medal in the under-20 men’s long jump final, jumping a new personal best of 7.06m.

The second medal was in the men’s 4x100m relay final. The team finished second in a time of 41.64s behind Australia Team B. However, after a review post-race, the gold medal was then awarded to Fiji after Australia was disqualified. The team consisted of Inoke, Tabakaucoro, Nikola Raiqeu and Ratu Meli Romuakalou.

Shortly after, Yeshnil Karan took to the medal podium for the men’s 5000m final.

Finishing third behind Australia’s Sam Mcentee and Jack Bruce, Karan ran a new personal best and Commonwealth Games qualifying time of 15 minutes 26.45 seconds.

The team was not done yet as a quartet was hastily put together for the men’s 4x400m and ran a decent 3 minutes 19.12 seconds to finish third behind Australia and Papua New Guinea.

In other results, Nikola Raiqeu finished sixth in the open men’s 400m heat two with a new season’s best and personal best of 49.62 seconds Ratu Meli Romuakalou came in sixth in heat one with a new season’s best of 50.50 seconds. Kameli Sauduadua came in eighth in heat two with a new season’s best of 50.69 seconds.

Tabakaucoro finished eighth in the open men’s 100m final to clock a season’s best of 10.56 seconds. Fiji-based Taiwaneese sprinter Bryce Chou finished sixth in his heat with a time of 11.22 seconds.

In the Open Men’s 1500m, Karan ran 4 minutes 00.07 seconds to finish fourth in the final.

Tabakaucoro finished fifth in the open men’s 200m where he ran a season’s best of 21.37 seconds.

Romuakalou came in fourth in heat two with a time of 22.82 seconds while Raiqeu came in fourth in heat three with a time of 22.56 seconds

In the open women’s 5000m, Vilimaina Naituku finished sixth with a new season’s best of 21 minutes 31.29 seconds.

Inoke finished fourth in the under-20 men’s triple jump with a new personal best of 13.76m.

The team will now return to Fiji whilst Banuve and Yeshnil move on to the Pacific Mini Games in Saipan, Northern Marianas later this month.