Medals at the treble for Fiji
Fiji were represented by 11 swimmers in the swimming finals on day one of competition, before going on to pick up 3 medals.
It’s been a proud start to the Games for Kelera Mudunasoko 17. Just 24 hours after being the flagbearer for Fiji at the Opening Ceremony she swam to silver in the Women’s 200m Breaststroke. Afterwards, she explained how important her race plan had been in her success;
“I just had to visualise what I had to do and then it went out well.”
The eight lengths being completed in a time of 2.41.46. Just 1.5 seconds outside the National Record held by Matelita Buadromo from 2011.
Fiji’s first medal of the competition in the pool came earlier when Hansel McCaig clinched bronze in the 50 metres Backstroke Final. The 21-year-old clocked a time of 25.68 seconds, a new National Record beating his own time from two years ago by over half a second. Needless, to say he was happy after the race;
‘In the morning we had quite a long hold so I was trying to pull myself up as late as possible, I had a decent start. To the 15m I was pretty good. The turn was a bit sloppy, but I tried to work off the wall, to get a better position. I was hugging the lane rope on the way back but it turned out alright. A medal is a medal so I’m happy regardless.’
The medal adds to his gold won at the Pacific Games in the Solomon Islands in 2023.
The evening session in the pool was rounded off with another silver medal and another National Record for the 4 x 100m Freestyle men’s team of Reuben Taylor, Hansel McCaig, Livai Raviko and David Young. They came home in 3.26.73. They acknowledged it was a tough race, just missing out to Tahiti for the gold.
‘We knew the competition was very tough as Tahiti came out strong. We were just short but an amazing performance and a national record by 7 seconds. A win’s a win and we got up on the podium.’
This was the second time the relay team had beaten the National Record in the day after Don Younger and Samuel Yalimaiwai helped see them through in the earlier heats.
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Words & interviews: The Reporters’ Academy. Photos: Ryota Nishida