2,306 athletes will be competing for 93 gold medals in different track and field events in this year’s Coca Cola Games which is the biggest athletics meet in the world.

Athletes from 123 schools are taking part in this year’s Coke Games which gets underway at 9.40 this morning at the ANZ Stadium.

Defending champions in the boy’s division, Marist Brothers High School who have held the title for the last three years are hoping to win the boy’s division again this year.

Marist who won 33 gold, 19 silver and 19 bronze in the Suva Zone 2 this year will be fielding 75 athletes in the Coke Games to defend their title.

Team manager Navitalai Waiwalu said they will be fielding a balanced team.

A few athletes who are going for gold are Junior Boys shot put thrower, Kaliopasi Uluilakepa.

He set a new zone record of 17.47 metres after his throw in the Suva Zone 2.

Senior boys shot put record holder Mustafa Fall will be aiming to break his own record throw of 15.80 metres which he set in 2013.

Other athletes for Marist who are expected to dominate their events are Junior Boys Discus thrower Kaunete Erasito, Junior Boys high jumper Elia Racumu, Senior Boys high jumper Poasa Setoqi and Intermediate Boys discus thrower Maurea Konrote.

Marist won 15 gold medals from the field events in the Suva Zone 2 and they are tipped to win majority of these medals in the Fiji Finals.

However expect intense competition in the boy’s division as many schools are also aiming to win gold in these events.

As in previous years, a number of medals are expected to scatter with many athletes from the western and northern division claiming gold in a number of events.

Natabua High School is aiming to get 16 gold medals.

If they accomplish this dream, then they will take the boy’s division title to the West for the first time this year.

The school’s 10 gold medalists in the boy’s division last year will be participating again this year and the team captain, Batinisavu Uluiyata said they are aiming to win the title.

The Natabua athletes who won gold last year are Tyrone Chambers who will be running in the Junior Boys 100 metres, James Cox who is running in the Junior Boys 200 metres, 400 metres and 4x400 metres relay.

Uluiyata will run in the 200 and 400 metres senior boys events.

Other athletes are Iliesa Ratete who won gold in the 800 metres Intermediate Boys last year, Colin Vesin who won the 800 metres gold in the Sub Junior grade, Rusiate Doidoi and Seremaia Cokomata.

Other schools to look out for in the boy’s division are QVS, RKS, Xavier College and Suva Grammar School.

In the girl’s division, Jasper Williams High School Athletics Coach Antonio Raboiliku said they are hoping to win the title three years in a row.

Raboiliku said the athletes were also touched seeing the support show by the villages from the west when they left Lautoka earlier this week.

Raboiliku said that they managed to achieve their target of 10 gold last year.

Suva Grammar School and Adi Cakobau School will provide stiff competition in the girl’s division however look out for athletes from the rural areas and the schools from the West and the North as they are expected to cause some upsets.

Some of the gold medal prospects for Adi Cakobau School include Alaiwalu Rayawa who will run in the Senior Girl’s 200 metres, Maopa Tabualovoni who will be running in the Intermediate Girls 800 metres event, Lai-sani Moce-i-sawana who will be running in the Intermediate Girls 100 metres, 200 metres and 4x100 metres events and Joana Tawake who will be competing in the Junior Girls Javelin event.

The Suva Grammar School girl’s team did not win any gold medals last year however they are optimistic that they can turn things around this year.

Grammar won the Suva Zone 2 girl’s division with 18 gold, 13 silver and 5 bronze. Out of the 18 gold medals, they are aiming to win 12.

 

Looking at the 100 metres Senior Boys and Senior Girls events :

Gospel High School sprinters, Aaron Powell and Younis Bese are aiming to create history by winning the Blue Ribbon event for boys and girls divisions.

No school has managed to win gold in both events in the same year.

Powell did not win the intermediate boys 100m last year as Apolosi Ratumudu of Marist took home the gold medal.

Ratumudu did not qualify for the 100 metres event this year as he did not make the qualifying time.

Aaron Powell has the fastest time of 10.87 seconds from the Suva Zone 2.

He is working on his weaknesses to win the Senior Boy’s 100 metres final tonight.

Ratu Kadavulevu School sprinter Peni Narube is also out to create an upset in the blue ribbon event.

Narube who took out gold in this year’s Tailevu Zone in the senior boys 100 metres clocked a time of 10.93secs.

Another athlete who is aiming to win the blue ribbon event is Nasinu Secondary School sprinter Apisai Dokonibonu who clocked 11 seconds from the Suva Zone 1.

Dokonibonu will be dedicating his run to his late uncle who passed away last Wednesday. He had raised him and his siblings when his father passed away in 2000.

The senior boys 100 metres record is 10.43 seconds which was set by Banuve Tabakaucoro in 2011.

Gospel High School senior girls sprinter Younis Bese’s 100 metres time from the Suva Zone 2 is 12.23 seconds while her personal best stands at 12.01 seconds from last year.

Bese said with Senior boys sprinter Aaron Powell already setting his goal to win the blue ribbon event, she has her eyes on the senior girls 100 metres gold.

Do not count out Jasper Williams High School sprinter Miriama Naio-basali who is aiming to create an upset in the senior girls 100m.

Naiobasali settled for bronze in the senior girls 100 metres last year. 

The senior girls 100 metres record is 12.16 seconds which was set by Suva Grammar School’s Makelesi Tumalevu in 2008.

The 100 metres heats start at 5.25pm today while the 100 metres final start at about 7.49pm tonight.

 

Looking at the 400 metres event :

Natabua High School athletics captain and long distance runner Batinisavu Uluiyata is by far the favorite to win the senior boy’s 400 metres event.

Uluiyata’s 400 metres personal best is 48.42 seconds which is the fastest time in the senior boys compared to all the zones.

He won gold in the Intermediate Boys 400 metres event with a time of 48.34 seconds last year.

His biggest threat will be Marist Brothers High School long distance runner Anasa Kaito who will be out to make amends in the 400 metres event after finishing third last year.

The 400 metres heats start at 10.21am today while the finals are at 7.25 tonight.

And for the first time ever, Fiji Airways will be giving the winners of the senior boys and senior girls 100 meters events and the best male and female athletes of the Coca Cola Games international airline tickets.

Coca Cola Amatil Marketing Manager, Lawrence Tikaram says this is a wonderful opportunity for the athletes competing in the Coca Cola Games as the winning athletes can fly to Australia or New Zealand.

Stay with your Coca Cola Games station, Legend FM as we will bring you the latest updates including interviews from the ANZ Stadium. We will have our running medal tally and you can check out the latest photos and videos on our our facebook page fijivillage.com.