SWIMMING as a hobby proved itself for young swimmer Anetekini Croker of Veiuto Primary School as he won the boys under 13-14 100m breaststroke event at the 2026 Fiji National Schools Swimming Championships yesterday.
Croker braved the opposition for the two-lap race and finished victorious with a time of 1:18.73.
Kunj Patel of Natabua High School came in second and Israel Sauqaqa in third.
Croker, who is a year eight student, said his only hobby was swimming and getting himself ready for the national championships meant having to find a way to concentrate on preparation in light of tthe Oceania Swmming Championships held in Suva recently.
“It was really hard because we had the Oceania games (Oceania Swimming Championships) and there was so much disturbance so we had to catch up with the training,” Croker said.
He is also part of the Triton Swimming Club, where national swimmers have emerged from and featured for Fiji over the years.
Heading to the pool before the race, Croker remembered thinking about how he would perform and seeking divine intervention to help him through it.
“I was just thinking about my race and just praying about it,” he said after stating there was “not very much” going through his mind coming into the race.
“I’d like to dedicate my win to God for helping me out as I was praying for my event.”
His recorded time for the race has also become his new personal best (PB) and expressed how he knew he could have done better than that.
