Discipline: Jumps & Throws

Coach: Jonathan “JT” Thiesen

Club: Laucala

Personal Bests:

• 55m Hurdles – 9.15s (05/02/2010 Run for the Dream, Fresno USA)
• 60m Hurdles – 9.20s (05/03/2011 NAIA Indoor Nationals, Ohio USA)
• 60m – 8.04s (05/02/2011 Westmont Indoor Invite, Santa Barbara USA)
• 100m – 14.71s (08/09/2007 South Pacific Games, Apia Samoa)
• 800m – 2mins 54.57s (28/01/2011 Fresno Pacific All-Comers, Fresno USA)
• High Jump – 1.60m (28/04/2012 GSAC Championships, Azusa USA)
• Long Jump – 5.93m (16/02/2013 NCCAA Indoor Nationals, Indiana USA)
• Triple Jump – 12.86m (13/04/2013 Pomona Pitzer Invite, Claremont USA)
• Shot Put – 14.79m (13/07/2015 South Pacific Games, Port Moresby PNG)
• Discus – 45.00m (30/03/2013 Westmont Collegiate Classic, Santa Barbara USA)
• Hammer Throw – 39.74m (28/04/2012 GSAC Championships, AzusaUSA)
• Javelin – 44.05m – (29/05/2010 NAIA Outdoor Nationals, Indiana USA)
• Heptathlon – 4270pts (10/04/2009 Fresno Pacific All-Comers, Fresno USA)

Tuivanuavou was a four-time national champion with nine All-American performances during her four-year career at Fresno Pacific University. Among her numerous honors were back-to-back Capital One Academic All-American Women’s Track and Field first team honors, along with She was named the Capital One Academic All-American Women’s Track and Field Athlete of the Year in 2012 and repeated the Capital One Academic All-American first team honors in 2013, which she also earned the Field Athlete of the Meet distinction at the Pacific West Conference Championships. She was also voted the PacWest Women’s Track and Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2013. She won NAIA national titles in 2012 in shot put (indoor) and triple jump (outdoor), and she earned National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) national titles in long jump and triple jump in 2013. Tuivanuavou owns nine Fiji national records and ranks second in two more events, Tuivanuavou graduated from Fresno Pacific in 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology and psychology. Over the past couple of years Milika turned her focus towards the shot put and triple jump becoming Fiji’s national record holder in both events.

Other notable achievements of Milika’s include her Fiji All Time Female Performance rankings in:

• Shot Put – No. 1
• Triple Jump – No. 1
• Discus – No. 2
• Hammer Throw – No. 2
• Javelin – No. 2
• Heptathlon – No. 3
• Long Jump – No. 3
• 100m Hurdles – No. 3

Discipline: Sprints & Relays

Coach: Bola Tafo’ou

Club: Laucala

Personal Bests:

• 100m – 11.87s (20/04/2018 Coca Cola Games, Suva Fiji)
• 200m – 24.33s (21/04/2018 Coca Cola Games, Suva Fiji)
• 400m – 57.68s (31/03/2018 Easter National Championships, Suva Fiji)

St. Joseph’s Secondary School, although not a force to reckon with come the Coca Cola Games, have had their fair share of the limelight with standout female sprinters which tend to add to the drama of the Coke Games by breasting the finishing line ahead of athletics giant schools like Jasper Williams and Adi Cakobau. Some of these sprinters include Racheal Rodgers, Tahitia Kamea, Sisilia Seavula and the more recent Heleina Young. Heleina’s been given the title of Road Runner by her school mates and with her quick and nimble strides; she’s been known to leave everyone in her wake in the first 40m. An ability which she uses so well on the hockey turf as she had made it into the Fiji Women’s Junior Hockey team that participated at the OPC in 2014. The dual sport athlete made her first international debut in athletics at the 2015 Ligue De Nouvelle Caledonie D’Athletisme in New Caledonia where she finished 3^rd in the Open Women’s 100m final in a time of 12.98s. Amidst her stellar performance at the Oceania Area Championships and an unlikely win in the 400m at the 2017 Coke Games Finals, the hockey player turned athletics rep clocked a very impressive new personal best of 11.87s in the final of the Intermediate Girls’ 100m finals. A performance that has tied her for second place with former pacific sprint queen Vaciseva Tavaga in the All-Time list. She’s also ranked number 2 in the 400m in Fiji in 2018 after only taking up the event a year ago. Nevertheless, the quarter mile gave her stamina which in turned fused well with her natural speed, she also clocked an impressive 24.33s in the finals of the 200m at the Coke Games. Making her the 3rd fastest female 200m runner in Fiji All-Time behind Makelesi Bulikiobo and vaciseva Tavaga.

Discipline: Sprints & Hurdles

Coach: Bola Tafo’ou

Club: Laucala

Personal Bests:

• 60m – 7.93s (04/02/2107 Grinnell Indoor Invitational, Iowa USA)
• 60m Hurdles – 9.59s (23/01/2016 Cornell Indoor Invitational, Iowa USA)
• 100m – 11.98s (15/04/2017 WJC Darrel Gourley Open, Missouri USA)
• 100m Hurdles – 15.84s (21/03/2015 Ligue De Nouvelle Caledoni D’Athletisme, Noumea New Caledonia)
• 200m – 24.90s (04/04/2015 Easter National Championships, Suva Fiji)

Sisilia was only four years old when her dad passed away and since then she has been raised by her mum Akeneta Seavula but like every daughter, she wants to share her athletics joy and achievements with her dad. She conquered all obstacles through sheer hard work and the inspiration of growing up without a dad pushed her to come out of her comfort zone and create her legacy as an Olympian this is apart from the countless medals she won during her athletics career. Seavula had a colorful primary and secondary school athletics career and the highlight of her achievement was when she defeated her friend and ACS sprinter Elenoa Sailosi in the final of 100m senior girls in 2013. She has a personal best of 12.10s in the 100m which she ran at the 2015 Shop N Save Athletics Fiji Weekly Competition in her build up for the 2015 South Pacific Games in PNG, in that same competition Sisi also clocked a personal best of 24.90s in the 200m.

Discipline: Sprints & Hurdles

Coach: 

Club: Laucala

Personal Bests:

• 100m Hurdles – 15.43s (18/07/2015 South Pacific Games, Port Moresby PNG)
• 400m Hurdles – 61.01s (20/07/2019 2019 Pacific Games, Apia Samoa)

As a Texas A&M University – Commerce student athlete, Ana set a new national record in the women’s 400m hurdles in a time of 61.18s, the old record was held by Rachael Rodgers. Ana has stamped her mark as one of Fiji’s great female hurdlers amongst other female hurdlers like Racheal Rodgers, Miriama Chambault, Milika Tuivanuavou and Alisha Dickinson, she’s really showed vast improvements considering that she only took up hurdling whilst a freshman at New Mexico Military Institute in the fall of 2013. She dominated the Fiji high school scene while competing for Adi Cakobau School in the 800m, 4x400m and 400m. At last year’s SPG she finished 5^th in the 100m hurdles finals in a time of 15.43s which stands as her personal best and 3^rd in the 400m hurdles final in a time of 61.01s.

Discipline: Sprints & Hurdles

Coach: Joseph Rodan Jnr

Club: Trailblazers

Personal Bests:

• 100m – 10.90s (25/04/2014 Coca Cola Games, Suva Fiji)
• 400m Hurdles – 56.22s (09/05/2015 Oceania Area Championships, Cairns Australia)

Fiji is more familiar with his twin sister Elenoa Sailosi, but what most people do not know is that Soni, as he is more commonly known, has been a fairly influential athlete in the Fiji Athletics Family. He’s first ever national athletics competition was the 2005 Primary School Milo Games Athletics Championship where he participated for Suva in the U10 boys 50m and 75m. Soni’s strong suite wasn’t the individual races but the relays. He was on numerous Marist Brothers’ High School relay champion teams from 2009 till 2013 while on the other hand, his sister Noa was in the limelight for her stellar performances in the sprints while representing ACS. However in 2014, while both Noa and Soni were in their senior year of high school, it would Soni that would steal the spotlight from his twin sister after winning the blue ribbon event at the Coke Games. Soni’s first ever individual medal and victory while representing the red brigade from Kaunikuila. Traditionally a 400m and 4x400m relay specialist, Soni graced the 100m straight with his farness running style and humble demeanor to edge out underdog athletes from the outer islands, a victory no one saw coming. Soni turned a liking for the short sprints and has since focused on the 100m and 200m while toying with the 400m, 4x400m relay and even the 400m hurdles. He ran a wind aided 10.71s in the 100m at the 2015 Regional Oceania Championships but still has a legal lifetime best of 10.90s which he ran at the 2014 Coca Cola Games in Suva. In 2015 Soni switched to the 400m hurdles seeing that Fiji lacked runners in that event at the Pacific Games, fairly new to the event, Soni ran a lifetime best of 56.22s at the 2015 Regional Oceania Championships and finished 7^th at the 2015 SPG 400m hurdles final in a time of 56.49s.

Discipline: Sprints & Hurdles

Coach: Bola Tafo’ou & Albert Miller Snr

Club: Laucala

Personal Bests:

• 60m Hurdles – 9.30s (21/01/2017 S&S Athletics Fiji Weekly Comp, Suva Fiji)
• 110m Hurdles – 15.54s (09/06/2017 Melanesian Championships, Suva Fiji)

“I’m doing this because I know I can do it and I’d like to prove everyone wrong” these were the words of Qamea, Taveuni native Errol Qaqa when he had decided to make a full commitment to athletics after two failed attempts at making the national team for the 2011 and 2015 Pacific Games. The basketball player turned hurdler draws most of his inspiration from the sheer determination that he sees in Para-athletes who train at the track day in and day out despite their disability, what fuels this fire of his as well is the doubts that most people have in him. Errol is no stranger to athletics, he’s first ever competitive athletics competition was the 2002 Milo Games where he ran in the U10 grade for Suva in the 50m. He had no inclination of taking up the sport and because of the LDS background from which he was brought up in, Errol turned a liking for basketball and did not take part in any athletics competition until 2003 where he set a new Sub-Junior Boys’ High Jump record at the Suva Zone 1 competition. A record which stood for 2 years till it was broken by another student from LDS which, ironically Errol helped coach. From 2003 to 2006 Errol made appearances at the Coke games representing LDS in the high jump only to have fallen short of the medal dice time and time again but this did not matter as basketball took front and center stage in his sporting priorities. Then in 2007 Errol moved over to Pacific Island neighbors Tonga where he was first introduced to the high hurdles, an event that Errol would take an immediate liking for after he won a bronze medal in a local competition. In 2009 he moved back to Fiji to finish off his high school 7^th form education and to his dismay there wasn’t any hurdles at the Coke Games so athletics was once again put on the back burner and basketball given the ultimate attention. The following year he made it in the Fiji U20 Men’s Basketball team then in 2011 he tried out for the Pacific Games attending most of the Pacific Games trials battling it out with No. 5 Fiji All Time 110m Hurdler John Wainiqolo however due to other commitments, Errol wasn’t able to attend the rest of the Pacific Games trials. He also was a trials for the 2015 Pacific Games but again failed to make the team then his break came at the 2016 Melanesian Championships where he fully committed to training and competition and not only did he make the national team but won gold in the open men’s 110m hurdles in a personal best time of 15.54s, a time that earned him the 10^th best all time 110m hurdler in the history of the event in Fiji.

Discipline: Throws

Club: Trailblazers

Personal Bests:

• Shot Put (Indoor) – 16.68m (15/02/2019 NJCAA REgion VI Indoor Champs, Pittsburg USA)
• Shot Put (Outdoor) – 17.75m (20/07/2019 2019 Pacific Games, Apia Samoa)
• Discus – 53.89m (05/04/2019 NJCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field Champs, NM USA )

Apart from Leslie Copeland in the spear event, Fiji has not had a competitive shot putter and or discus thrower since Sikipio Fihaki at the 2003 south pacific Games in Suva. One could safely say that Fiji has had a drought of competitive shot putters and discus throwers till Musatafa Fall putted his way into the national team claiming a 3^rd place finish at the 2015 south pacific games in Papua New Guinea with a throw of 15.78m to set a new National Record. At the 2016 Melanesian Athletics Championships, Fall managed to win gold in the shot put and hurled the discus to a 50.28m and beat 2016 No. 1 Pacific Ranked Debono of Papua New Guinea. This was to be Fall’s 3^rd competitive competition all as Setareki Matau (team mate) led the 2016 Fiji ranking in the discus and Solomone Qisavola (team mate) led the 2016 Fiji ranking in the shot put in his (Fall) absence. Fall is definitely one of Fiji’s most talented throwers as he has stamped his mark in the top 10 all-time throwers in Fiji where he sits as No. 1 in the shot put with his personal best of 17.75m and No. 1 in the discus after hurling out to a new personal best and national record of 53.89m at the 2019 NJCAA D1 Outdoor Track & Field Championships in New Mexico, USA.

Discipline: Distance

Coach: Proshattom Lal

Club: Jetrunners

Personal Bests:

• 800m – 2mins 03.40s (18/02/2017 Grand Prix Series Round 2, Suva Fiji)
• 1500m – 4mins 17.66s (24/06/2017 Oceania Team Fiji Trials, Lautoka Fiji)
• 3000m – 8mins 56.30s (06/07/2019 2019 Oceania Grand Prix, Lautoka Fiji)
• 5000m – 15mins 49.93s (20/07/2019 2019 Pacific Games, Apia Samoa)
• 10,000m – 33mins 08.00s (14/04/2017 Easter National Championships, Suva Fiji)

He is seen on facebook “hastaging” the phrase “Volkswagon man” drawing acknowledgement to his supporters and sponsors at Pala’s Autohause in Nadi but one can safely draw the narration of his crazy work ethic to that of the fine, farness and flawless German automotive engineering of a Volkswagen vehicle. That same work ethic has landed Avikash ranking as the number 1 long distance runner in Fiji in 2017 in the 5000m and 10000m. Son of former Fiji distance rep Proshattom Lal, Avikash has to wake up at 4am every morning to train and then returns home to do farm work before going to work. “I love running but we are also farmers, I cannot forego my daily duties, so I juggle my schedule to ensure that I am able to train morning and afternoon,” Lal. He first burst out on the athletics scene at the 2012 Coca Cola Games as a 17 year old representing Votualevu College in the Intermediate Boys’ 1500m and the Open Grade 3000m finishing 4^th in both events respectively. Since then, Lal as represented Fiji at 2 World Cross Country Championships, 2 Oceania Cross Country Championships, the 2015 SPG and the 2016 Melanesian Championships where he finished 1^st in the 10k and 2^nd in the 5k. Lal recently returned from the 2019 Pacific Games in Apia, Samoa with a silver in the Men’s 5000m and a gold in the Men’s Half Marathon.