Tewa for World Indoor event
SPRINTER Waisake Tewa will represent Fiji at the 2024 World Indoor Championships set for March 1-3 at the Commonwealth Arena in Glasgow, Scotland.
Selection was based on World Athletics Universality rules where if no athlete has qualified for the championships, then one Universality is allowed for only one athlete, male or female, in the 60m.
Athletics Fiji had no one qualified however, the next best sprinter with higher performance points according to World Athletics was former Nakasi High School student Waisake Tewa.
Tewa will be competing in the men’s 60m sprint on Friday marking his first lone appearance at an indoor competition and international level competition.
He debuted for Fiji at the 2023 Pacific Games where he won two silver medals, men’s 4x100m relay and 4x400m relay, and a 5th place finish in the final of the men’s 100m.
Tewa, who is coached by Bola Tafo’ou of the Laucala Bay Athletics Club, says that he is very nervous but at the same time excited as he will be looking to line up against some of the world’s best sprinters.
He is expected to fly out tomorrow with training partner and Tuvalu sprinter Karalo Maibuca.
The Lomaiviti man is currently completing his certificate in Carpentry Engineering at the Fiji National University and has an impressive personal record in the 100m (10.71s), 200m (21.60s), 400m (49.87s) and 800m (1:59.00s) making him one of Fiji’s versatile male sprinters since Niko Verekauta.
This is the 19th edition of the championships and will be the 3rd time for Scotland to host the championships. The indoor season sees athletes race on a 200-metre track while in the outdoor season, athletes race on a 400-metre track.