Fiji settles at 7
THE Team Fiji contingent to the Pacific Mini Games at Saipan returned home last night with 43 medals after finishing on seventh place in the Northern Marianas event.
Fiji won nine gold, 17 silver and 17 bronze medals. Papua New Guinea won the games after collecting 33 gold,
28 silver and
19
bronze.
Tahiti finished as runnerup with 22 gold, 15 silver and 21 bronze medal, hosts Northern Marianas got 16 gold, 13 silver and nine bronze. Australia finished fourth with 16 gold, 3 silver and 3 bronze. Meanwhile, athletics and weightlifting won the most medals
for Fiji with Athletics Fiji collecting the share of medals in the last events.
Banuve Tabakaucoro maintained his South Pacific sprint king title after winning the 100 and 200 metres gold medals. The western duo of middle and long distance runners Avikash Lal and Yeshnil Karan also had their victory share in the games. Paralympian Iosefo Rakesa, who threw a new personal best of 36.93m in the final of the men’s javelin ambulant ambulatory to snatch gold in Saipan.
Athletics Fiji reported that Karan took to the track with Nadi hometown hero Avikash Lal in the men’s 5000m final. The high humidity and warm weather played into the hands of Ben Zorgnotti of Tahiti and pulled away with four laps to go in the race last week. Karan won bronze in a time of 15:37.15s.
In the final of the men’s high jump, a high pressure and nail-biting duel between Fiji and PNG saw the winner decided on 2.00m. National record holder and defending 2017 Mini Pacific Games champion, Malakai Kaiwalu made his presence known from the onset, clearing the bar on first attempts at every height until PNG’s Karo Iga finally failed all three attempts at 1.97m and Kaiwalu was declared the winner.
Fiji’s second bronze medal came in the form of physical education teacher Samuela Railoa in the final of the men’s 400m. Railoa was in great position coming off the final turn, however PNG’s Shandrick Tansi had a stronger finish forcing Railoa to settle for a new season’s best of 48.59s and third place.
The men’s 4x100m relay brought the curtaind down on Day 3 in what would be a livewire of a race. Running in lane 6, PNG shot off with a bang knowing that Samoa and Fiji were on the inside lanes. Coming off the final exchange, PNG had a slight lead, but the lead was reduced to nothing when Samoa’s William Hunt quickly made up ground however the 2 were left to fight for silver and bronze when Tabakaucoro strode past the both of them with ease.
In other results: Avikash Lal 17:11.67s, 10th men’s 5000m final, Francis Kaiava - 1.85m, 4th men’s high jump final, Jimi Onitoro - 20.15m, 4th men’s javelin ambulant ambulatory, Naibili Vatunisolo - 17.26, 4th women’s javelin ambulant ambulatory.
Left: Iosefo Rakesa competes at the Pacific Mini Games in Sapain.