Fiji’s athletes had an action-packed day at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 over the weekend, stamping good times and form in Athletics, Swimming, and Sailing.
Waisake Tewa impressed in the Men’s 100m clocking the best time ahead of other Pacific Island competitors, so did Anahira McCutcheon in the Women’s 50m Freestyle, and Sophia Morgan in sailing.
In the Men’s 100m Preliminary Rounds, Tewa finished seventh in his heat but stood out with an impressive time of 10.73 seconds. William Reed from the Marshall Islands completed his heat in 11.29 seconds, placing sixth. Karalo Maibuca of Tuvalu, despite finishing seventh in the same heat, clocked a close time of 11.30 seconds. Kenaz Kaniwete from Kiribati finished fifth in his heat with a time of 11.29 seconds, while Scott Fiti of the Federated States of Micronesia came seventh in his heat with 11.61 seconds. Winzar Kakiouea from Nauru achieved 11.15 seconds, finishing 6th. Joseph Green from Guam who had the second fastest time behind Tewa finished fifth in his heat with 10.85 seconds. Maleselo Fukofuka from Tonga completed his race in 12.11 seconds, finishing eighth.
At the Aquatics Center, McCutcheon delivered a strong performance in the Women’s 50m Freestyle heats, finishing with a time of 26.88 seconds in fifth place. Kayla Hepler from the Marshall Islands finished second in her heat with 30.33 seconds. Isabella Millar from the Solomon Islands finished eighth in her heat, clocking 31.32 seconds. Palau’s Yuri Hosei recorded a time of 30.52 seconds, finishing sixth. Noelani Day from Tonga clocked 28.60 seconds, securing third in her heat. Kestra Kihleng from the Federated States of Micronesia finished fourth with 28.81 seconds. Vanuatu’s Loane Russet achieved a personal best of 28.86 seconds, finishing sixth. Samoa’s Kaiya Brown finished seventh with 28.31 seconds while Georgia-Leigh Vele from Papua New Guinea was placed fourth in her heat with 27.61 seconds.
In Sailing, Morgan competed in the Women’s Dinghy races and currently stands 37th out of 43 with 157 net points after eight races. Samoa’s Vaimooia Ripley is 42nd with 200 net points. In the Men’s Dinghy races, Fiji’s Viliame Ratului currently holds 43rd place with 209 net points. Samoa’s Eroni Leilua is 42nd with 203 net points after six races.
Photo: ONOC
