Fijian hurdler Errol Qaqa delivered a golden performance — and an inspirational message — after winning the men’s 110m hurdles at the Pacific Mini Games in Palau, urging young athletes across the country to believe in themselves.
“I feel so good. That was the plan from the very beginning, being one of the senior athletes,” Qaqa told Team Fiji media after clocking 14.59 seconds in a dominant run yesterday. “We have to lead by example, and I’m glad I was able to follow through with gold.”
Qaqa dedicated his victory to his family, coach Bola Tafo’ou, athletics mentor Albert Miller, Team Fiji, and the next generation of athletes back home.
“Never forget that you can do it,” he said, addressing the youth. “I had done the hard work back at home, and I knew that I could bring it. Today was just to focus and finish the race healthy and strong.”
His gold was one of four won by Fijian athletes on a day that showcased the nation’s depth in track and field. Team Fiji now sits third overall in the medal standings, with 22 gold, 27 silver, and 21 bronze medals, behind Tahiti and Samoa.
In a golden day for Fiji, Frederico Miller soared to the top of the podium in the men’s triple jump, recording a leap of 13.89m. Teammate Samuela Vunivalu joined him on the podium with bronze at 13.70m, while Waisiki Koyamainaqoro narrowly missed out in fourth place.
On the track, Yeshnil Karan cemented his dominance in long-distance events by clinching gold in the men’s 5000m with a time of 15:27.62. His win adds to his already decorated career.
In the relays, Fiji’s men’s and women’s 4x100m teams both secured silver medals, with times of 40.76s and 47.33s respectively.
The medal rush continued in the field, where Loata Lewageena took silver in the women’s discus with a throw of 48.15m, while Breanna Rabakewa earned bronze with 45.61m. Reki Roberts, already a gold medalist in the heptathlon, picked up another podium placing — bronze in the high jump with a clearance of 1.50m.
In para athletics, Naibili Vatunisolo won gold in the women’s javelin ambulant, continuing Fiji’s strong showing across a
ll disciplines.
Weightlifting Fiji concluded its campaign with 15 medals (5 gold, 5 silver, 5 bronze) and 13 records broken across Mini Games, Oceania, and Commonwealth categories.
In beach volleyball, the men’s team will now play for bronze against Tahiti after falling to Australia in straight sets. The women’s team beat Solomon Islands 2-1 and will face Tahiti in the 5th place playoff.
Looking ahead to today’s schedule, Fijian sprinters are set to compete in the 200m semifinals. On the women’s side, Heleina Young, Sera Nasilivata, and Naibena Tuilawaki all qualified, while the men’s heats saw Waisake Tewa, Ratu Penaia Ramasirai, and Francis Bakaniceva also advance.
Photo: Team Fiji
