ONE look at the medal tally of the 2016 Coca-Cola Games, and you would find Mahatma Gandhi Memorial High School nowhere on the list since it never won a single medal in either the boys or girls division.
Nine years later, they are the defending champions of the girls division and finished seventh in the boys division.
Part of what fuelled that rise to athletics and academic domination was the new page it turned over when the new decade unfolded six years ago.
While COVID-19 forced the closure of many stations of business, education and the introduction of grim uncertainty to set in, the school’s intentions to start emerging as a powerhouse in athletics took form two years later.
In August 2022, the Coca-Cola Games returned with much fanfare and excitement after a two-year absence.
What the entire country did not expect when it kicked off in Suva, was the emergence of a new Blue Ribbon champion from the same school, an underdog at that.
Waisele Inoke and Kesaia Boletakanakadavu soared past athletes of dominant schools such as Marist Brothers High School, Adi Cakobau School, Natabua High School, Queen Victoria School, St. Joseph’s Secondary School and others. Inoke finished with a time of 11.10 seconds while Boletakanakadavu finished with a time of 12.40 seconds. And four years later, the school’s prowess on the track and field have grown and this time, while they are aiming to finish highly once more in the girls division, the boys division is still an area to work on.
That’s according to their school principal, Rageshwar Prasad.
“The boys title is out of the question; we are just babies in the boys division,” Rageshwar said, as the boys finished seventh last year with two gold, two silver and five bronze medals.
“For the girls, we have to fight tooth and nail to defend.”
Last year, MGM’s starlets blazed the tracks with young athletes such as Lidia Waqairapoa and Sera Nasilivata within their ranks to finish strongly against other dominant schools, helping bag 20 gold, eight silver and five bronze medals.
