Ever since representing Fiji at the Pacific Games in the Solomon Islands last year, Rusiate Matai of Balata College has received scholarship offers from larger schools in hopes of joining their athletics team for the 2024 Fiji Finals.
As lucrative as most of these scholarships have been, Matai has turned down each off er to represent his Tavua school over the weekend.
The 19-year-old won gold in the high jump event at the Pacific Games last year and had no match in the senior boy’s division at the HFC Bank Stadium, taking top honours.
“Ever since representing Fiji to the Pacific Games, big schools, especially from Suva have offered me scholarships to join the school but I turned them down,” he said.
“Some of the offers were very convincing, but I decided to turn them down because I wanted to remain loyal to my school.”
He said he couldn’t think of competing against the school that discovered his jumping talent.
“If I did go to another school, I would be betraying my coaches, friends, and family back home,” he added.
The Nadarivatu native soared to victory at the Fiji Finals with a leap of 2.03 metres, leaving Marist Brothers High School’s Ratu Simione Kaiwalu in second place at 1.99m, and Gabriel Kavekai of Holy Cross College in third at 1.91m.
