THIRTEEN-year-old Shreya Reddy shocked the local darts community yesterday when she defeated two top national players in her debut at the National Singles Darts Tournament in Suva.
Playing at the United Club, the Year 8 student from Kids First Fiji won all her pool games 2–0, including the one against experienced dart players Ana Ruci and Litia Heritage. This is her first tournament.
“I didn’t know I could do it,” said Shreya. “But my mum had faith in me.”
Shreya took up darts in December last year while watching her mother, Releshni Karan, train for the South Pacific Darts Championship.
Now the two are playing side by side.
“It’s very special,” said Releshni, who previously captained the Fiji women’s team.
“We only played casually at home. I never thought we’d be competing in a national tournament together.”
Releshni said she entered her daughter after seeing how focused she is during training.
Shreya now trains daily — morning, afternoon and evening.
She is one of only two youngsters competing in this year’s tournament.
The other is 14-year-old Seru, who made it to the top 16 in the men’s division after playing against 48 adult competitors.
Shreya advanced to the women’s top eight and competed in the semi-finals yesterday.
She admits nerves are her biggest challenge. “Sometimes I get nervous, but I just block everyone out and pretend I’m playing at home.”
The National Singles Darts Tournament will help select players to represent Fiji at the South Pacific Darts Championship in 2027.
The Fiji Darts Association is encouraging more children and women to join the sport, aiming to grow its grassroots participation across the country.
