A PROMINENT school in Suva has shown its interest in 14-year-old Vereniki Rasuaki who is representing Ra Athletics at the 2025 Fiji Primary Schools Athletics Tuckers Ice Cream Games in Suva.
Rasuaki had won gold in the boys’ 1500m long distance race at the HFC Bank Stadium yesterday.
Leading the Ra contingent, Drauniivi Public School headteacher Pasikali Navukula said this was something they did not expect.
“The school representatives visited our camp at Draiba Primary School to declare their interest in Rasuaki. They have stated their terms which will see them sponsor our athlete from Year 9- 13.
“This was so unexpected, he is my student at Drauniivi and we had completed his from to join Natabua High School next year. Rasuaki was emotional when I relayed the news to him,” he said.
The headteacher affirmed that the final decision will fall on Rasuaki’s parents.
“We are now awaiting the arrival of his parents to have a thorough discussion about his future. The school is looking to recruit long-distance runners and Rasuaki met their criteria.”
Navukula said Rasuaki did the hard yard which has opened this new opportunity for him.
“Our team trained for over one week. We faced challenges with the wet weather, but the athletes persisted. We thank our families in Ra and here in Suva for supporting the team.
“We trained at the Ra Sports ground which is the same size as the national stadium and we told the athletes that if they want to perform well at the HFC Bank Stadium, they had to first prove themselves at our ground.
“We challenged them and they accepted, reminding them that if Nadi can do it last year, Ra can do it this year.”
The Ra contingent is represented by 96 athletes this year.
