IN buildup to the Fiji Sports Hall of Fame and Fiji Olympic Order Dinner which will be held at the Novotel Lami Convention Centre on Friday, FASANOC is paying tribute to the former inductees.
In a statement, FASANOC paid tribute to the late Ana Ramacake Birch, who was inducted to the Fiji Sports Hall of Fame in 1993 for her outstanding achievement in athletics.
“The recent passing of the late Ana Ramacake Birch marked the passing of an athletic legend but her legacy will continue as our young girls and women take to the tracks to emulate one of Fiji’s ‘sporting greats’,” the statement said.
Ramacake was the pioneer winner of the 100 yard dash in the 1963 South Pacific Games held in Suva.
A student at Lelean Memorial School at that time, she stunned the crowd at Buckhurst Park with her record sprint of 12.2 seconds.
This talented young lady from Visama in Tailevu was also remarkable in the pit.
She levelled the long jump record during her second South Pacific Games in Noumea with a leap of 5.51 metres.
“Full of enthusiasm, Ana travelled to Jamaica on her own, without a manager or a coach to represent Fiji during the 1966 British Empire Games,” FASANOC said.
“Her record breaking performance led her to tour New Zealand competing in the New Zealand Championship where she won a gold medal in the long jump with an astonishing feat of 5.89m, a New Zealand national record but unfortunately could not be recognised as Ana was a visitor.”
Ramacake set a national long jump record of 5.93m which stood over decades and 200m national record of 24.6s which stood for an incredible 25 years at the 1967 National Easter Championships.
She passed away on July 17 this year.
“She will be forever remembered by the FASANOC family.”
FASANOC and its presenting partner, BSP, will celebrate the outstanding performances of our sporting heroes and heroines at the Fiji Sports Hall of Fame and Fiji Olympic Order Dinner on Friday.
Tickets for this event are available at Fiji Olympic House, Suva.
