Rainibogi chases spot

COMMONWEALTH Games bronze medallist Taniela Rainibogi will have another shot at an Olympic Games qualifier next month in New Zealand.

The Pacific Games triple gold medallist has two Olympic qualifying events coming up, the first to be held next month in Auckland at the 2024 Oceania

Championships.

Rainibogi, who ended Fiji’s 70year wait for a male medallist at the IWF Grand Prix in December, is Weightlifting Fiji’s top bet to make the Paris Olympic Games in July.

“This is an exciting year for us, Taniela Rainibogi still has two qualifying events, one is in New Zealand and the other one is in Phuket, Thailand,” said Weightlifting Fiji president Della ShawElder.

“Right now, we are concentrating on Rainibogi to qualify for Paris. We did not have any rest. Our last competition was on December 23, we only stopped when the venue closed but our preparation has been ongoing.”

The Oceania Championship, also a Paris qualifier, will be held from February 23-25.

If Rainibogi is unable to qualify at the Oceania Championship,

he gets another shot at the second qualifying event that will be in Phuket, Thailand from March 31 to April 11.

If he makes it to the Olympics, then Weightlifting Fiji will be the third sport to qualify on merit to Paris with Sailing and Sevens rugby already booking their spots.

He will accompany Shaw-Elder who was appointed to feature at the Olympic Games as an international technical official in weightlifting.

Young Sophia Morgan and Viliame Ratului will represent Fiji in sailing.