PAULA Vonolagi of Suva Grammar School won the blue ribbon race of the Coca-Cola Games Suva Zone Two athletics meet in its first day on Tuesday and won the senior boys 200m final yesterday.
Vonolagi overcame stiff competition imposed by close competitor Marist Brothers High School in the race as he conquered the 200m bend to advance victoriously past the finish line after the home stretch.
For him, it was a fitting conclusion to a comeback mounted after enduring challenges in his training and preparations.
And while he walked away victorious, he did so after having to pull up in the race to ensure the last laugh was his to make.
“I would like to thank the Lord Almighty for giving me the strength and I was almost done at that 50-metre mark just to push myself because it will also be my last time appearing for Grammar,” Vonolagi told Times Sport after the race.
“And I feel very great and I would like to just thank the Lord Almighty for giving me the strength.”
When he won the blue ribbon event on Tuesday, he relayed to the media how even a pulled hamstring did not deter him from ensuring he did his best on the track and yesterday, he revealed that rehab for it proved timely.
And while Suva Grammar School had only a week to prepare for the zone athletics meet after a successful interhouse meet prior, no stones were left unturned for him and his fellow athletes to ensure they prepared for what would unfold on the tracks and the field.
He added off-season training from December last year played a crucial role in ensuring he was able to deliver the results he sought for.
