THERE is a common belief among Fijians that we are the fastest on the track in the Pacific and this has been shown in previous Pacific Games where Fiji has dominated the sprints events.
But it looks like Fiji is slowly losing its grip over the sprints and possibly in athletics in the region.
There is only but one sure shot sprint champion who is predicted to bring gold in the men’s 100m and 200m.
Banuve Tabakaucoro’s prowess in these two categories is well-known even to the extent that at the 2013 Mini Games in Wallis and Futuna, French television journalists were waiting for Banz to run below 20 seconds in the 200m.
He clocked 10.33s to shave a second off former record holder Jone Delai’s time of 10.34 when he ran in the final of the Pacific Mini Games 100m event in Wallis and Futuna.
But unlike yesteryears, when Fiji also dominated in the middle and long distance there is no Fijian that is likely to win the 400m, the 800m, 1500m, 3000m, 5000m, 10,000, the 3000m steeplechase and the marathon.
Isireli Naikelekelevesi was the last middle distance champion and after the likes of Daven Prakash Sharma and Parshottam Lal, no athlete has been a gold medal winner in the long distance as well.
Athletics Fiji president Joe Rodan agreed that Fiji is no longer an athletics powerhouse in the region and a lot of work is needed.
And just like the Fiji men, the women have had a hold on the sprints, but it no longer is. Makelesi Bulikiobo Batimala was Fiji’s last sprint queen.
Makelesi dominated the 100m, 200m, the 400m and to date holds the national 800m record as well.
Papua New Guinea’s track queen who has been dubbed as the PNG iron woman, Toea Wisil runs a personal best of 11.41s in the 100m, Fiji’s current fastest time is 12.21s by teenager Younis Bese.
Rodan said PNG was pumping money into athletics as the Pacific Games and the host nation would be a force to reckon with in July.
He said the state of athletics was reflective of the management of the sport in the past but this has changed.
“As you know we were the new committee that came in last year. We came in because of the fiasco that was happening in athletics and it virtually came to a stage where we were told to get the house in order. We needed to get back into the IOC and get the funding,” Rodan said.
“Soon as the new committee came in we realised that the Pacific Games were on this year and we put in a strategic plan of where we want to be in the Pacific Games. We cannot get right back to the top because it is a long process.
“After discussing the 2015 Games, we agreed that worst case scenario would be Fiji coming back with eight gold medals but there is a slim chance of getting another six. This depends on the development that we will be doing right now leading up to the Games. We have only six months left to the Games.”
Athletics is looking to take 15 male and 20 female athletes to PNG and while 44 gold medals are at stake, Fiji is looking at its lowest medal count in the Pacific Games in athletics.
Rodan agreed that Fiji women would be fighting for silver when it comes to the sprints.
“Toea (Wisil), she has been around for some time. She is based in Perth. She trains there. There is no doubt that she will win gold with the time she is doing.
“All other Pacific nations will be competing for the silver medal,” he said.
“Our development plan is looking at growing the sport over the next four years. We want to get athletes back in the sport, get them back in the game. We have to create an environment where athletes themselves want to grow with the sport. We have a very good group of young athletes and given four years’ time they will be there with the best in the region.”
The first of the three national trials to pick a national athletics squad happened over a week ago.
Rodan said the new administration was looking to take athletics where it used to be and the roadmap starts with the Pacific Games.
“Athletics is not what it used to be. We have very few senior athletes left and the performance in the Mini Games was not satisfactory in terms of the overall team performance,” Rodan said.
“We have a plan but it will take time. We are a new administration and we want all athletes, even the long distance ones based in the West to be part of this trial so we have a fair idea on what our team looks like.”
Rodan has promised that with the development plan in place, Fiji will get back to where it used to be and soon enough a new sprint queen would emerge.
He is also confident that all disciplines including field events will have a Fijian within medal contention but like all good things this will also take time.
