Athletics Fiji (AF) technical official, Sisilia Cokanauto has been given the opportunity to further upgrade her skills as Oceania Athletics hosts the Technical Officials’ Education Certification System (TOECS) Level I Lectures Course that’s currently underway in the Gold Coast, Australia.

Sisilia has been an IAAF certified Level I Technical Official since 2015 and an active member of AF and the Fiji Primary Schools’ Athletics Association (FPSAA).

Her selection to attend the course is in direct alignment with Athletics Fiji’s strategic plan that includes training and development of coaches, athletes, administrators and technical officials, on boarding with AF and to have better alignment with FPSAA.

The Naseakula District School Head Teacher is the president of the Northern Primary Schools’ Athletics Association and has successfully coordinated and organized the Annual FMF Northern Chow Games, officiated at the 2016 Melanesian Championships, technical official at the 2017 Oceania Area Championships and will be looking to add the TOECS Level I Lecturers Certificate to her repertoire and hopefully join the few qualified IAAF Technical Official Lecturers in Fiji.

The IAAF set up the TOECS to improve the level of athletics officiating all over the world, which means:

1. Creating a basic level of officiating skills where nothing or a grass roots only situation exists and
2. Improving the level of officiating skills where a system is already in place.
   The operation of the TOECS is coordinated by the IAAF Development Department and the Regional Development Centers (RDCs).

The TOECS features standard learning materials and specifically trained lecturers.
Participants who successfully complete the course receive an IAAF Level I Technical Official Lecturer Certificate and make them eligible to deliver training for Level I technical officials within the country.

Story by: Eugene Vollmer, Athletics Fiji (31/08/2018)

The 2018 Oceania Cross Country Championships were held in conjunction with the Australian Cross Country Champions over the weekend (25/08/2018). There were over 1,200 athletes that competed in the various classifications and distances.

The Oceania Championships where contested in the Under 18, Under 20 and Senior divisions. There were 7 Federations represented across 6 different races.

Fiji was represented by Ana Cowley and Avikash Lal.

Lal has been Fiji’s dominant distance and road race runner in for the past 2-3 years. Winning most of the 5km, 10km and half marathon organized races and was Fiji’s silver medalist in the 5km at the recent 2017 Mini Pacific Games. He has been Fiji’s lone representative to various cross country championships both regionally and internationally.

Coming into the competition, Lal had a personal best of 35:34.00s which he clocked at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships and due to the tough terrain, he (Lal) ran 3 minutes slower (38:34.00s) and finished 32nd overall.

According to Oceania Athletics, there course barely had flat grounds and was particularly tough for the Pacific Island contingent who had little experience with hills. Conditions were perfect with the predicted rain holding off until the evening. Even Australian Olympian Madeline Hills agreed that the course was difficult.

“Very very tough course, we heard it was going to be hilly and I don’t think there was anyone that turned up here today that wasn’t surprised and terrified. So yeah it was tough.”

Fiji’s female representative and national record holder in the marathon Ana Cowley started off well in the race but then again was affected by the tough terrain and cold conditions that she wasn’t able to finish.

Story by: Oceania Athletics (27/08/2018) Athletics Fiji (28/08/2018)

Elenani Tinai and Miriama Senokonoko are Athletics Fiji’s latest US Collegiate Scholarship recipients and have joined the likes of Albert Miller Jnr, Younis Bese and Ana Kaloucava.

Elenani joins Albert Miller Jnr at Southwestern Community College in Iowa after being awarded the Oceania Australia Foundation Scholarship program offered by ONOC last year to prospective student athletes to train and study in the United States.

The Oceania Australia Foundation Scholarship program was established to provide new and expanded opportunities for the people of Oceania by ONOC. The program provides two years of academic sports scholarships to selected junior colleges in the United States. At the conclusion of this two year scholarship, the recipient may have the opportunity to move to an NCAA college or return to their home country.

For the past 2 years, Elenani has been the nation’s most consistent female 400m runner, having a personal best of 57.45s which she clocked at the Commonwealth Games early this year. She’s won numerous medals for her Sawani based school at the Coca Cola Games and was also part of the women’s 4x400m relay team that won gold at the Mini Pacific Games in Vanuatu.

The only person to who have bested Elenani’s 2017 National Ranking was Miriama Senokonoko, who was also awarded with a scholarship to Limeston College in South Carolina, USA.

Limeston College is a private 4 year coeducational, liberal arts, NCAA DII college.

Unlike Elenani, the multi-talented Miri has not only been Fiji’s leading female 400m runner for the last 2 years but has been dominating the triple jump event since the absence of national record holder Milika Tuivanuavou.

Athletics Fiji will be looking to monitor their performance and the performances of other athletes competing overseas so that they maybe included into the 2019 SPG training squad for next year.

Story by: Eugene Vollmer (23/08/2018)