2025 Pacific Mini Games Wrap Up: A Performance of Power, Promise & Pride

Article by: Athletics Fiji (13/07/2025)

Images provided by: Oceania Athletics Association and Team Fiji

The Athletics Fiji team wrapped up their campaign at the 2025 Pacific Mini Games with a strong presence across both track and field. This was more than just a medal-winning outing—it was a strategic, spirited showcase of Fiji’s athletic depth, growing talent pool, and sheer determination.

Fiji finished second on the Athletics Medal Tally, marking its most successful performances across the past 15 years, at any Pacific Games since 2009 Pacific Mini Games

Performance Breakdown: Medal Tally and Discipline Impact

TEAM	GOLD	SILVER	BRONZE	TOTAL
Papua New Guinea	17	20	13	50
Fiji	11	11	8	30
Australia	7	5	4	16
Guam	3	3	2	8
Wallis & Futuna	3	1	2	6
Northern Marianas	3	0	1	4
Tahiti	2	3	7	12
New Caledonia	2	3	1	6
Samoa	1	1	1	3
Tonga	1	0	3	4
Marshall Islands	1	0	1	2
Cook Islands	1	0	1	2
Solomon Islands	0	4	3	7
Vanuatu	0	1	2	3
Nauru	0	1	2	3
Palau	0	0	1	1

Fiji’s athletics contingent left their mark with a rich haul of medals, earning podium finishes across sprints, relays, throws, distance races, hurdles, and combined events. Here’s a closer look:

1 Most Outstanding Female Athlete of the Games
- Heleina Young was officially named as the 2025 Pacific Mini Games Most Outstanding Female Athlete. Her medal haul included victories in the Women’s 200m, 400m and the 4x400m Relay, along with silvers in the Mixed 4x400m Relay and Women’s 4x100m Relay. Every race she ran was electrifying – filled with power, precision, and pure determination. In Fiji, she currently sits at No. 2 all time in the 100m (11.82s). Given her impressive personal and season’s bests performance of 24.01s in the 200m and 56.07s in the 400m, she has now been elevated to No. 2 and No. 5 all-time respectively. Heleina’s journey is nothing short of inspiring. She first made her mark in athletics, transitioned to become a Fijiana rugby 7s star, and now, she’s returned to the track to remind the Pacific – and the world – of her talent.

23 Personal bests:

NO.	ATHLETE	EVENT	PB	PLACING	FIJI RANKING	COMMENTS
1	Breanna Rabakewa	Discus Throw	45.61m	3rd	2nd	Fiji No. 4 All Time
2	Sinairi Erasito	Discus Throw	44.05m	5th	3rd	Fiji No. 6 All Time
3	Loata Lewageena	Javelin Throw	45.32m	3rd	1st	Fiji No. 2 All Time
4	Miliakere Nikolau	Javelin Throw	43.83m	4th	2nd	Fiji No. 4 All Time
5	Sera Nasilivata	100m	12.20s	3rd	2nd	Finals
6	Waisake Tewa	100m	10.55s	3rd	1st	Finals
7	Errol Qaqa	110m Hurdles	14.79s	1st	1st	Fiji No. 3 All Time
8	Waisake Tewa	200m	21.60s	2nd	1st	Finals
9	Penaia Ramasirai	200m	22.50s	5th	7th	Prelims
10	Francis Bakaniceva	200m	22.42s	8th	6th	Prelims
11	Waisea Tuiyabayaba	400m	49.09s	4th	1st	Finals
12	Meli Romuakalou	400m Hurdles	56.05s	4th	1st	Finals
13	Glen Finau	Discus Throw	42.78m	5th	4th	Finals
14	Glen Finau	Hammer Throw	29.63m	2nd	1st	Finals
15	Waisele Inoke	Long Jump	7.18m	1st	1st	Games Record
16	Samuela Vunivalu	Triple Jump	13.70m	3rd	5th	Finals
17	Melania Turaga	800m	2:20.01s	5th	3rd	Finals
18	Reki Roberts	100m Hurdles	17.77s	3rd	1st	Heptathlon
19	Waisele Inoke	Octathlon	5241pts	1st	1st	Octathlon
20	Heleina Young	200m	24.01s	1st	1st	Fiji No. 2 All Time
21	Heleina Young	400m	56.05s	1st	1st	Fiji No. 5 All Time
22	Adi Ceva Lutumailagi	800m	2:18.47s	2nd	1st	Fiji No. 8 All Time
23	Breanna Rabakewa	Shot Put	9.48m	8th	–	Finals

11 Gold medals:

NO.	ATHLETE	EVENT	PERFORMANCE
1	Waisele Inoke	Octathlon	5241pts
2	Reki Roberts	Heptathlon	4250pts
3	Naibili Vatunisolo	Javelin Throw Ambulant	21.96m
4	Naibili Vatunisolo	Shot Put Ambulant	8.72m
5	Heleina Young	200m	24.01s
6	Heleina Young	400m	56.05s
7	Errol Qaqa	110m Hurdles	14.59s
8	Frederico Miller	Triple Jump	13.89m
9	Yeshnil Karan	5000m	15:27.62s
10	Yeshnil Karan	Half Marathon	1:14.58s
11	Lutumailagi, Young, Rasoki & Turaga	Women’s 4x400m	3:51.88s

11 Silver medals:

NO.	ATHLETE	EVENT	PERFORMANCE
1	Glen Finau	Hammer Throw	29.63m
2	Waisake Tewa	200m	21.60s
3	David Raibiriki	Long Jump	6.77m
4	Adi Ceva Lutumailagi	800m	2:18.47s
5	Loata Lewageena	Discus Throw	48.15m
6	Reki Roberts	Triple Jump	11.00m
7	Sereana Viriviri	Long Jump	4.79m
8	Tuiyabayaba, Rokuakalou, Railoa & Tewa	Men’s 4x400m	3:17.78s
9	Turaga, Young, Yee & Nasilivata	Women’s 4x100m	47.33s
10	Ramasirai, Tewa, Bakaniceva & Inoke	Men’s 4x100m	40.76s
11	Tewa, Young, Lutumailagi & Tuiyabayaba	Mixed 4x400m	3:31.77s

8 Bronze medals:

NO.	ATHLETE	EVENT	PERFORMANCE
1	Loata Lewageena	Javelin Throw	45.32m
2	Breanna Rabakewa	Discus Throw	45.61m
3	Reki Roberts	High Jump	1.50m
4	Jimi Onoitoro	100m Ambulant	12.62s
5	Maryann Macedru	Shot Put	13.81m
6	Sera Nasilivata	100m	12.20s
7	Waisake Tewa	100m	10.55s
8	Samuela Vunivalu	Triple Jump	13.70m

Other performances:

NO.	ATHLETE	EVENT	PERFORMANCE	PLACING	FIJI RANKING	COMMENTS
1	Sinairi Erasito	Shot Put	10.30m	6th	7th	–
2	Penaia Ramasirai	100m	10.99s	7th	2nd	Semifinals
3	Waisiki Komainaqoro	Long Jump	6.58m	5th	3rd	Finals
4	Waisiki Komainaqoro	Triple Jump	13.39m	4th	10th	Finals
5	Samuela Railoa	400m	51.18s	12th	3rd	Prelims
6	Glandness Simpson	800m	2:18.83s	4th	2nd	Fiji No. 9 All Time
7	Glandness Simpson	1500m	5:22.61s	7th	1st	Finals
8	Vilorina Naibena	400m	59.07s	4th	3rd	Finals
9	Vilorina Naibena	200m	26.17s	8th	4th	Semifinals
10	Sitiveni Kuanaivalu	High Jump	1.85m	5th	3rd	Finals
11	Tyronne Ali	Discus Throw	41.05m	7th	2nd	Finals
12	Tyronne Ali	Shot Put	11.40m	10th	8th	Finals
13	Sakiusa Sokotukivei	Shot Put	13.18m	8th	4th	Finals
14	Braelynn Yee	100m	12.69s	6th	4th	Finals
15	Sesenieli Rasoki	400m	1:04.16s	7th	5th	Prelims
16	Selina Seau	Javelin Throw Ambulant	17.30m	5th	2nd	Finals
17	Selina Seau	Shot Put Ambulant	8.10m	5th	2nd	Finals
18	Vilimone Baleinayau	Shot Put Ambulant	8.54m	5th	2nd	Finals
19	Jacob Chand	Shot Put Ambulant	8.07m	6th	3rd	Finals

In total, Athletics Fiji medaled in nearly every session of competition, a testament to their comprehensive preparation and adaptability.

Throwers’ Analysis: Strengths & Strategic Shifts

Increased Depth & Event Coverage
- Unlike previous games where Fiji’s throwing contingent was small and scattered, 2025 saw the team field athletes across all major throwing events—shot put, discus, hammer, and javelin. This depth signals a structural shift in how Fiji is developing and investing in field events.
Technical Consistency
- What stood out most wasn’t just raw power—it was improved technical execution. Athletes showed stable release mechanics and footwork, particularly in the rotational events. Coaches’ efforts to emphasize technical discipline over brute force is clearly paying dividends.
Youth Integration & Transition
- Fiji’s throws team showed signs of a healthy pipeline. With athletes like Erasito stepping up and others gaining international exposure, there’s now a pathway from local meets and national trials to the Pacific stage. The transition from junior to senior ranks is smoother than in previous years.

Throwers’ Analysis: Challenges & Development Focus

Despite the gains, the Games also highlighted areas needing attention:

Distance Gap
- In some events, Fiji’s best marks still trailed leading performances by 1–2 metres. Targeted strength & conditioning, plus access to high-level competitions, can close this gap.
Javelin Development
- Unlike the other throwing events, javelin lacked Fijian representation at the top level. This calls for specific talent identification and technical coaching in this discipline.
Injury Management
- Throwing demands high physical output, and ongoing support in physio, recovery, and athlete load monitoring is essential to prevent drop-offs due to injury.
Facilities
- Invest in proper throwing circles and cages around the country… in
  - Prominent throwing schools: Marist, SGS, RSMS, QVS, SJSS, SVC etc;
  - Public grounds – Albert Park, My Suva Park- into the sea at low tide, Bedesi Park and
  - Tertiary institutions: USP & FNU

Throwers’ Analysis: Final Words

Fiji’s throwers proved that they are no longer just participants—they are contenders. The path ahead is promising, with a blend of experienced leaders and rising talent ready to carry the torch. As Athletics Fiji continues to nurture this momentum, the next few seasons could usher in a golden era for field events, driven by a team that’s lifting, throwing, and breaking barriers every step of the way.

Sprints & Relays Analysis: Strengths & Areas for Growth

Strengths
- Strong relay depth across both men’s and women’s teams.
- Breakout female sprinter performance by Heleina Young and runner-up medal in women’s 4×100 m relay.
- Effective squad mix of youth and experience, enhancing future sustainability.
Opportunities
- Men’s 400m & 400m Hurdles remains a gap—as Fijian times were well behind podium benchmarks.
- There was also no representation in the women’s hurdle events.
- Narrow margins in men’s sprints suggest room for improved race-day peak performance.
- Continued development needed for clean baton transitions and acceleration phases in the relays.

Sprints & Relays Analysis: Final Words

Fiji’s sprint and relay performances at the 2025 Pacific Mini Games showcased notable resilience and depth. With standout individual achievements—especially from Heleina Young, Sera Nasilivata, and Waisake Tewa—alongside silver and gold relay medals, Fiji affirmed its status as the region’s top athletics contender. The narrow margins behind PNG podium finishes highlight both the progress made and remaining gaps. Focused enhancements in training methodology, athlete conditioning, and strategic race execution should unlock further growth, positioning Athletics Fiji for even greater success at Pacific Games 2027 and beyond.

Jumpers Analysis: Strategic Sights and Development Areas

Strengths
- Fiji secured 6 podium finishes, including a triple jump gold.
- Both Reki and Waisele Inoke’s performance in the long jump during their combined events competition would have earned both of them a gold medal each in the individual events.
Growth Opportunities
- Performance margins: The silver medal performances were within 0.1–0.2 m of gold but fell short. Focused training on approach rhythm, phase transitions, and take-off optimization could bridge this.
- Historical context: Fiji’s medal-winning marks in long and triple jumps were below the 2022 fields, suggesting a recent plateau that needs addressing.
Injury Management
- Team Fiji had to drop Rusiate Matai due to injury. The High Jump is physically demanding on the lower back and legs, and ongoing support in physio, recovery, and athlete load monitoring is essential. His jump of 2.10m earlier in the year would have earned him a podium finish and another gold to Fiji’s medal tally.
Recommendations
- Technique refinement: Introduce focused coaching on approach mechanics, take-off power, and landing consistency, especially for horizontal jumps.
- Runway speed conditioning: Enhance sprint-driven approaches to boost runway velocity and transition into jump phases.
- Performance benchmarking: Align training targets to regional gold standards to motivate progression.

Jumpers Analysis: Final Words

Fiji’s history in the jumping events at the Pacific Games is rich and storied. Fijian jumpers have shown flashes of brilliance that speak to the nation’s deep athletic potential. The 2025 Pacific Mini Games reminded us of this legacy, with strong showings and valuable medals in high jump, long jump, and triple jump. Yet, while podiums were reached, they also exposed clear performance gaps — in technique, consistency, and depth — that must be addressed if Fiji is to reclaim full dominance in the field. With the raw talent clearly present, what’s needed now is targeted investment, technical refinement, and a focused development pathway to ensure more of our athletes aren’t just competing, but consistently standing on the podium. The potential is there.

Distance Analysis: Strengths and Development Areas

Gladness Simpson ran in both the 1500m and 800m, ultimately placing 7th and 4th respectively. In the 800m, she clocked a new personal best of 2:18.83s despite finishing just outside the top 3, a performance that has her at No. 9 All Time in Fiji. Her performance suggests that her preparations were geared towards the more tactical-heavy shorter event.
Adi Ceva Lutumailagi demonstrated strong specialization in the 800m, with tactical discipline and consistent splits. Her relay participation underscores her versatility and team value in sustaining Fiji’s depth across individual and relay fronts.
Yeshnil Karan’s gold-medal performance was expected given his recent record-breaking benchmark and past golds in regional competition. His strategic pacing and national-record fitness translated effectively in the competitive Palau environment, reaffirming his status as the Pacific’s leading distance runner.
Recommendations
- Hybrid Middle-Distance Training: Aerobic threshold work with sprint endurance to strengthen closing speed over the 1500m and 800m.
- Tactical Race Simulation: Conduct race-pace prediction sessions under heat/humidity to mirror competition venue conditions.
- Data-Driven Monitoring: Use split analysis, heart-rate zones, and lactate profiling to optimize peaking phases and race-day execution.

Distance Analysis: Final Words

At the 2025 Pacific Mini Games, Yeshnil Karan reaffirmed his elite status in long-distance running, delivering golds that matched his national-record fitness. With focused tactical refinement and targeted cross-training support, Fiji’s middle-distance have the potential not only to maintain podium presence, but to elevate the standard of Fijian distance running in the broader Oceania arena.

Combined Events Analysis: Resurgence and Strategic Insights

The dual gold haul by Inoke and Roberts marks a significant revival in Fiji’s combined events tradition. Once sparse, Fiji is re-emerging as a force in multi-disciplines. Their performances suggest Fiji’s renewed emphasis on multi-event coaching, athlete development, and competition exposure is yielding tangible results. Historically, Fiji lacked standout combined-events success in the Pacific Games, but this resurgence shows promise for continuity at future Pacific Games and regional championships.

Strengths
- Inoke’s explosive wins and Roberts’s consistency across varied disciplines highlight Fiji’s expanding technical depth.
- Youth trajectory is strong—Roberts especially shows potential to scale points substantially as she matures.
Gaps and Potential Growth
- While strong in upper-tier events, both athletes can gain from refining weaker disciplines: e.g., Inoke’s 1500m and 400m, Roberts’ throws.
- Focused incremental improvements—such as optimizing high jump technique or adding strength for javelin—could push scores closer to 5,500+ in octathlon and 4,500+ in heptathlon.
Reccommendations
- Targeted technical coaching for weaker phases (e.g., throws and jumps for Roberts, 400m for Inoke) to boost total scores.
- Structured multi-event camps, including international training exchanges, to build capacity and experience under competition load.
- Performance benchmarking: use points thresholds (such as 4,500 heptathlon and 5,500 octathlon) as training targets for second-generation athletes.
- Pathway integration: align school-level programs with combined-event development to create future depth beyond the current stars.

Combined Events Analysis: Final Words

The 2025 Pacific Mini Games marked a pivotal moment for Fiji’s combined events. Waisele Inoke’s commanding octathlon gold and Reki Roberts’s balanced heptathlon excellence are not just medals—they symbolize a broader resurgence in multi-event disciplines for Fiji. While there are technical gaps to refine, both athletes exemplify the raw talent and versatility that can pave the way for consistent podiums. With continued investment, coaching, and competition experience, Fiji is poised to become a regional powerhouse in the combined events arena once more.

Tactical Growth and Team Synergy

What also elevated Team Fiji’s performance was strategic event placement and team synergy. Athletes were clearly peaking at the right time. The Mixed 4x400m silver medal and dual 4x100m relay silvers (Men’s & Women’s) proved that Fiji is not only producing strong individuals but also building cohesive, well-drilled relay units.

There was visible growth in the throwing and combined events, areas where Fiji has historically lacked depth. The powerful and consistent performances of our throwers in shot, javelin and discus was particularly encouraging.

Implications for the future

This Pacific Mini Games campaign wasn’t just a victory lap—it was a launchpad. The younger athletes gained experience, while the veterans laid down great performances. With the 2027 Pacific Games and other regional championships on the horizon, Fiji is strategically well-positioned.

Key takeaways:

Depth across both genders and disciplines
Rising stars showing promise in traditionally weaker areas
Consistent relay performance—a boost for team morale and development
Potential qualifiers and medal contenders for higher-level meets (Oceania, Commonwealth, Olympic pathway)

Final Word: A new era for Athletics Fiji

As we wrap up an incredible campaign at the 2025 Pacific Mini Games, we want to extend our deepest appreciation to everyone who played a part in this journey.

To our athletes — your dedication, resilience, and pride in wearing the Fiji colours inspired us all. You gave your everything on the track, in the field, and in every moment.
To our coaches and support staff — your tireless work behind the scenes made every medal and personal best possible.
To our families and fans — your cheers from the stands and from back home lifted our spirits and reminded us why we do what we do.
To our partners, sponsors, and stakeholders — your belief in our vision and support of our programs helped us grow, prepare, and perform.

Athletics Fiji’s showing at the 2025 Pacific Mini Games was more than medal success—it was the emergence of a high-performance culture. From sprint dominance to throwing development, from record-breaking combined events to relay resurgence, this was a campaign marked by heart, hustle, and hope.

The team didn’t just participate—they performed, inspired, and laid the groundwork for even bigger things to come.