Ex-middle distance champ Liku passes away
Former South Pacific Games women middle-distance gold medallist Make Liku passed away at the Suva’s Colonial War Memorial Hospital early this week after a short illness.
Liku, 73, represented Fiji to three SPGs. In 1971 held at Tahiti, the 1975 SPG in Guam and the Suva 1979 SPG.
Over those three SPGs, Liku won four gold, two silver medals and one bronze totalling seven medals.
Originally from Wailotua, Wainibuka in Tailevu, Liku is the eldest sister of PNG-based news editor Samisoni Kakaivalu and the late SUNsports editor Osea Bola.
In 1971, Liku won gold in the women’s 1500m where she clocked 5:11.3 minutes and won silver in the 400m after clocking 59.4 seconds. She brought home three medals after the 1975 SPG where she won gold in the 800m, silver in the 400m and bronze in the 1500m.
According to a relative Liku was a quiet achiever who does not talk about her achievements on the track.
“She would only give a few details about her races with her team-mate Rusila Radinibeqa here and abroad. Otherwise she would rather keep quiet about it,” the spokesman said.
Liku clocked 2:20.85min in the 800m at the 1975 SPG; her time is better than the national record now held by Ana Baleveicau which is 2:24.18min. Her last SPG was in 1979 where she won two gold medals in the 800m (2:22.15min) and 4 X 400m relay (3:57.97m).
She was the women’s assistant manager to the 1983 SPG held at Apia, Western Samoa. Liku worked as a stenographer with the Fiji Police Force for many years before she retired. She will be buried at the Nasinu cemetery tomorrow. She is survived by her only child Lusiana Finau.