Bible verses and gospel songs kept Helen Kin of Drasa Avenue School focused and committed in achieving three out of three wins in all her events at the 2026 Fiji National Schools Swimming Championships.
Yesterday, on the meet’s final day, she finished first in the girls 10-year-old 50m freestyle event with a time of 34.43 seconds, while Ariela Puamau of International School Nadi came second with a time of 34.92s and Ava Verevukivuki of Veiuto Primary School in third with 42.24s.
An elated Kin shared she was able to put aside the nervousness of competition and performing in the water by keeping herself composed with divine guidance.
On day one staged on Friday, she won the girls 10-year-old 100m and 200m freestyle.
With a strong track record placed for this year, she said she was happy to have achieved what she had set out to do.
“Happy, very happy,” Kin said when asked how she felt after achieving her target.
And what helped her bag the wins in all three events were the unwavering support of her family, friends and teachers who were her support system cheering her on to see her win all the events she competed in.
“First of all, what helped me come first were my parents when they were helping me train, my coaches and my teachers,” Kin explained.
“And I had one competitor that I was trying to beat but they went to a different school.”
With this support system becoming the North Star she swam towards, she said having their backing was an exciting thing to possess.
As her parents cheered her on in the stands of the Damodar City Aquatic Centre, she also expressed her appreciation for the support of her grandparents cheering her on back home in Lautoka.
Kin began her journey as a swimmer when she was in year two and began doing it competitively a year later.
