Team Fiji athletes recorded good performances on day one of the 2022 Oceania Area Championship in Mackay, Australia, among them Fiji’s spring king Banuve Tabakaucoro who recorded his best run this season in the senior men’s 100m.
Tabakaucoro clocked 10.56s in the finals of the 100m yesterday, faster than what he had recorded in the pre-Oceania Champs meet over the weekend at the same game’s venue with a time of 10.65s.
In the 400m Senior Men’s event, former St John Cawaci runner Nikola Raiqeu clocked the best time, possibly his best this season as well of 49.67s, likewise, 2018 Commonwealth Games rep Kameli Sauduadua who clocked 50.69s followed by Ratu Meli Ramukalou with a time of 50.50s.
Davuilevu Methodist High teenager Torika Radovu was impressive as well in the 400m U18 clocking 62.56s to qualify for the finals today. In the Fiji National Champs, she had clocked 64.59s.
Seventeen-year-old Vilimaina Naituku also did well in her 1500m Senior run with a time of 5:38.20, slicing almost six seconds off her pre-Oceania Champs time of 5:43.19. Former Coca Cola Games gold medallist and Tavua’s Yeshnil Karan finished fourth in his 1500m race with a time of 4:00.07.
FMF Team Fiji’s Australia-based reps 14-year-old Gold Coast-based student Ezekiel Singh and 15-year-old Nicholaus Pareti also did well in their respective races. Singh clocked under 1 minute in the Men’s U18 400m race with a time 59.57s. Pareti ran in the 100m U18 sprint with a time of 11.51s.
Also, competing alongside Team Fiji athletes in Mackay are the David sisters from Suva Grammar, Claudie and Chloe who are competing for Vanuatu. The sisters ran in the Womens U18 100m race where they progressed to the finals, finishing with a time of 12.84s and 12.81s respectively.
The 2022 Oceania Area Championship continues today.
14-year-old Gold Coast based student Ezekiel Singh, clocked 27.56 seconds in the 200m,
