Coke Games co-ordinator Vuli Waqa reckons this year's Coke Games will be the most competitive.
"Simply because we're looking at the bulk of athletes to represent Fiji at the SPG in Samoa to come out of the Coke Games, Waqa said yesterday.
The Fiji Secondary School School Athletics Association national finals will be held over April 27-28 at the Post Fiji Stadium but the eliminations begin next week with the Suva Zone One and Two meets next Thursday and Friday.
Waqa said they'd be looking at unearthing another new star this year following the revelation of Suva Grammar's Niko Verekatua last year.
Verekauta is based in New Zealand. He is on Olympic Solidarity Scholarship at the Oceania High Performance Training Centre with high jumper Rajend Prasad. Verekauta, 21, has a personal best of 46.28 seconds in the 400m. He ran 46.77 at the World Junior Championships in Beijing last year where he finished in fourth place in one of the semi-finals.
More overseas stints
Team Fiji is looking at another "five or six athletes to move across to Brisbane to train with Fijian track queen Makelesi Bulikiobo, under the guidance of coach Lloyd Way.
Last weekend at the Australian Championships in Brisbane, Bulikiobo ran best times in nearly every start, including a fourth in the final of the 200m and fourth in the final of the 400m.
Way said her best breakthrough was 53.85s in the 400m while in the 200m she ran 23.95s which is the first time this season she has broken 24s, while in the final she ran 23.65s to come fifth.
"That was a big breakthrough, she ran in lane two in the final, Way told Radio Australia.
Distance runner Isireli Naikelekelevesi joins the Brisbane-based Pacific squad in two weeks.
Way said the islanders thrived on hard work.
"They've really made a mark, as far as athletics in Australia at the weekend, I think a few people where very surprised, he said.
Way was also impressed by Papua New Guinea's female runner Mae Koime, who broke through with an Olympic B qualifying time in Brisbane.
Way said Koime's enormous personal best of 11.37s. (down from her previous personal best 11.71s) gave her the silver medal and boosted her regional ranking from eighth to second.
Koime went on to win her second silver of the meet in the 200m, clocking 23.38s behind triple New Zealand sprint champion, Monique Williams (23.28s.).
Cash input
Getting more athletes to train in Brisbane will come down to the financial aspect of Team Fiji's preparations.
A boost though for those vying for the trip to Samoa is the financial backing from the Fosters Group of companies.
The company has given $20,000 to FASANOC to cater for the levy of track and field athletes.
As it stands, there will be a levy of $900 per athlete for the trip and athletes can be grateful for the help from the brewery firm.
Quality over depth
This year's athletics squad won't lack quality but will be short in depth.
The financial demand is the contributing factor. The team could be forced to only take A-grade qualifiers, with B and B and C grade qualifiers, mainly silver and bronze hopefuls to be left out.
Athletics won 17 gold, 14 silvers and 15 bronze to top its section at the 2003 Games, ahead of New Caledonia (11, 7, 5).
The target this time is 20. Overall Team Fiji won 65 gold, 59 silver and 53 bronze medals in Suva and was placed second behind New Caledonia. This year Team Fiji is aiming for 75 gold medals.
The SPG will be held from August 25-September 8 with Fiji participating in the following sports, 31 in all: Archery, athletics, baseball, basketball, beach volleyball, bodybuilding, bowls, boxing, cricket, football, golf, hockey, judo, netball, powerlifting, outrigger canoeing, rugby league, rugby union, shooting, sailing, squash, surfing
Cheshire Phoenix (BBL) inked 22-year old Fijian international forward Joshua Fox (198-95kg-94). He just graduated from Cal-Davis (NCAA). In 28 games he recorded 14.8ppg, 6.8rpg, 2.1apg and 1.1spg last season. A very good year in his career as he was voted to All-Big West 2nd Team. As mentioned above Fox is just out of the college and it will be his first season in pro basketball. Among other achievements his team won Big West Regular Season in 2015. Fox received also All-Big West Sixth Pl... [read more]
Cheshire Phoenix (BBL) inked 22-year old Fijian international forward Joshua Fox (198-95kg-94). He just graduated from Cal-Davis (NCAA). In 28 games he recorded 14.8ppg, 6.8rpg, 2.1apg and 1.1spg last season. A very good year in his career as he was voted to All-Big West 2nd Team. As mentioned above Fox is just out of the college and it will be his first season in pro basketball. Among other achievements his team won Big West Regular Season in 2015. Fox received also All-Big West Sixth Player of the Year award in 2015 at his college time. Fox represented Fiji at the Pacific Games in Port Moresby (Papua New Guinea) last year.
U18 Basketball Reps Prepare For Oceania - 22 days ago
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The Fijian basketball team are gearing up for the U18 Oceania Basketball Championship, to be played at the Vodafone Arena, Suva in December. With only five months to go, Basketball Fiji along with International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Oceania and the Australian Basketball Statistics Committee has kicked started preparations by conducting technical training. U18 men's coach Manoa Puamau said they are looking to achieve more than they did in 2014 where they finished seventh. 'Our ultim... [read more]
The Fijian basketball team are gearing up for the U18 Oceania Basketball Championship, to be played at the Vodafone Arena, Suva in December. With only five months to go, Basketball Fiji along with International Basketball Federation (FIBA) Oceania and the Australian Basketball Statistics Committee has kicked started preparations by conducting technical training. U18 men's coach Manoa Puamau said they are looking to achieve more than they did in 2014 where they finished seventh. 'Our ultimate goal this year is to go for gold or at least finish in the top three. I am confident that we can achieve that goal because the boys have been preparing really well. 'Their fitness levels are good and I think overall our team is way better and more prepared than what it was like two years ago.' The U18 squad were selected from a series of trials in the Eastern and Western divisions last month. While the majority of the players will be playing in the competition for the first time, Apisalome Lutuviri who was in the last U18 team brings a wealth of experience to the young side. 'Our toughest opponents are Australia and New Zealand, they have dominated the competition and will most likely again this year,' he said. 'This tournament I believe will help boost the sport in the country as well, and the boys will get a good exposure from this competition.' This is the second U18 Oceania Basketball Championship that Fiji will be hosting, the first was in 2014. Eight Pacific Island countries will take part in this year's U18 Oceania Basketball Championship including Australia and New Zealand and will be the qualifier for the U19 World Championship in 2017. Courtesy of: fijisun.com.fj
New winners in secondary schools basketball tourney - 1 month ago
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THE Fiji Secondary Schools Basketball competition yesterday featured new winners in the under-15, U17 and U19 grades for the boys and girls divisions. Yat Sen Secondary School boys thrashed Latter-day Saints College 27-15 in the U15 final of the Tuckers Ice Cream-sponsored tournament.
In the U15 girls final; Suva Grammar School thumped LDS College 14 - 3. The U17 girls final was interesting. LDS College revenged their junior teams' loss by thrashing St Joseph's Secondary School 25-14 [read more]
THE Fiji Secondary Schools Basketball competition yesterday featured new winners in the under-15, U17 and U19 grades for the boys and girls divisions. Yat Sen Secondary School boys thrashed Latter-day Saints College 27-15 in the U15 final of the Tuckers Ice Cream-sponsored tournament. In the U15 girls final; Suva Grammar School thumped LDS College 14 - 3. The U17 girls final was interesting. LDS College revenged their junior teams' loss by thrashing St Joseph's Secondary School 25-14. Results of the U17 boys and U19 girls finals were yet to be received when this edition went to press. Meanwhile, Natabua High School represented the Western Division in U19 finals at the Yat Sen Hall yesterday. Coach Esava Buresova said it was a bonus after beating Yat Sen Secondary 32 - 22. Buresova said being the lone representative from the Western Division was an honour, especially when the competition was held in Lautoka, but had to be moved to Suva because of the weather. "I have been coaching the Natabua team for three years. This is a milestone achievement for us to be playing in the last stage of the competition," Buresova said. "We have really worked hard to be able to come and play in Suva." Courtesy of: fijitimes.com
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