NEW challengers have emerged at the Fiji Primary & Secondary Schools national swimming championship this year, setting a brisk pace on the first day of competition yesterday.
Salaseini Lele, the president of the Association, noted the increased competition from new swimmers who are pushing the boundaries and challenging the established club swimmers.
She highlighted the growing development at the grassroots level, with swimmers daring to compete in longer distance races like the 200 meters and attempting strokes like backstroke and freestyle.
Lele commended the efforts of the young swimmers for their determination and willingness to step out of their comfort zones.
While acknowledging the challenges they face, she emphasised the importance of their participation in pushing the boundaries of their capabilities.
“It’s good to see the development swimmers attempting the distance swims, the 200metres and the back stroke and front stroke,” said Lele.
“I know it is not easy but it’s good to see that they are attempting to swim those courses. For our club swimmers, we understand but for the schools they are trying to attempt this stroke.
She recalled that when she first entered the swimming scene, there were only a few dozen swimmers, which has now ballooned to nearly 700 participants.
This surge in interest and participation is a testament to the rising popularity and development of swimming in Fiji.
“Today’s competition as you can see that there is a lot of swimmers and I think when I just started coming into swimming, there were not even more than 100 swimmers, it was just a few and then it went to 200 and now there is a lot of swimmers and that is 650 and then now its roughly 700 swimmers.
