Is Cracking Hardy

Fiji, As Main Challenger, Is Cracking Hardy

From Alan Spark, in Suva I predict that almost every sports record written into the books at the First South Pacific Games in Suva, 1963, will have to be rewritten during the 10 days of competition in Noumea—and that Fiji will play a considerable part in all this record-breaking.

Nevertheless, standards

throughout the South Pacific have taken a leap forward, literally, as a result of the First Games, and nobody is under any illusions that Fiji will able to dominate the Games in the way that it did in 1963.

One cannot discount the advantage of the home team, and undoubtedly some Pacific athletes will find that the changed conditions in New Caledonia—cinder running track and the beautiful big new swimming pool—are not to their liking.

Fiji will not be defending its gold medal at Rugby nor will the colony’s soccer people be attempting to im prove of their silver medal. These two bodies decided long ago that the change in the date of the Games from September to December made it impracticable to keep teams together and match-fit so long after the close of their seasons.

Athletics Chances

But the athletics team has a solid background of experience. No less than 11 of the 35 selected athletes competed in the Suva Games. Six of the 11 were gold medal winners and some of them will come home from Noumea with the modernistic square medals prepared for the Games there.

Fiji has a strong team of sprinters, headed by Roy Thomas, who has a best time for the 100 metres of 10.6 sec., and Kalivati Cavuilate, a 21.8 sec. 200 metres man.

Sitiyeni Moceidreki, a veteran by sprinting standards, and Rupeni Rovonu, are no slugs either, and the four of them should make up a relay team capable of a very res pectable time.

In the 400 and 800 metres, Fiji’s hopes will rest with Osea Malamala, the first man in the colony to time under 50 sec. for the 400 metres and under 2 min. for 800 metres.

Fiji has a fairly young team for the middle distances, with Viliame

Saulekaleka being the only survivor of those who ran in the longer distances at Suva. Local officials are not over-optimistic of striking gold in these events.

The 3,000 metres steeplechase is another matter. Here we have two runners who are well inside the record for the event and getting down near an even 10 minutes.

Epeli Lagiloaloa is the established chamption and record-holder, with a time of 10 min. 5.8 sec., but in the final trials he was beaten by newcomer Paula Sotutu, who had a time only 0.6 sec. outside the record.

Hurdles

Lautoka policeman Meli Vakare wakobau could have a chance of a medal in the 110 metres hurdles, while Malamala will be defending his 400 metres hurdles title. Malamala is still in good form for the event.

When, during the Fiji trials, he had his first run over hurdles since the 1963 Games he ran over a second faster than his winning time on that occasion.

High jumper Koresi, who gets him self into all sorts of awkward positions in going over the bar, dis plays considerable promise in this event. Given a decent take-off point

By capturing 34 of the 59 first placings at the First South Pacific Games in Suva in 1963, Fiji showed an overwhelming superiority in South Pacific sport. Observers then predicted that such a walkover was not likely to be repeated, but that Fiji must be considered in future the main challenger. The Noumea Games will tell. On the following pages is an up-to-the minute review of how the “main challenger’s” sportsmen and women think they will fare in Noumea.

and special shoes he is expected to go well over 6 ft.

In the javelin my money is on Viliame Liga, but I doubt if I can find anybody to take the bet.

At the trials Liga had a best throw of 229 ft and even this was seven feet short of his best—and this time there will be no question of him com peting in two events at the same time and ending up getting beaten in his specialty.

Liga is in four events —the javelin, high jump, discus and shot put— but Fiji’s most athletic Methodist minister will not compete in one of them because it is to be held on a Sunday.

Mesulame Rakuro may not be able to carry off the shot and discus titles again, but he’ll certainly get a medal or two.

Womens Events

Let’s have a look at the ladies.

Fiji’s athletics selectors are con fident that they have picked a group of 10 girls who are capable of doing proportionately better than the men.

At the time of writing Ana Ramacake was only just coming back into competition, but she ex pected to be fully fit for the Games and was determined that the sprint and long jump titles should be hers.

The sprint titles are almost certain to come to Fiji anyway, for at this distance it appears that Ana’s strongest rival will be mother-of-five Tbrika Varo, who over the last few months has staged an amazing come back.

Torika started off the season quietly enough, but she suddenly forced her way into headlines by

Quality /« Women's

Relay Team

setting a new record for 400 metres, a distance which was new to her.

Since then she’s won practically everything she’s entered in. Best times of 12.3 sec. for the 100 metres and 25.0 sec. for the 200 metres put her a tenth of a second away from Ana’s records.

This completely-changed athlete first represented Fiji 12 years ago, and though she has been competing on and off ever since, she had to be content with minor placing for a long time. The youngest of her five children is less than a year old.

With Ulamila Toroki and lona Mitchell being third and fourth in the sprint squad, Fiji has a women’s relay team of gold-medal winning calibre.

No Idle Threat

There will be no idle threat about Fiji’s entry in the 400 metres either. lona is the Fiji record-holder at 60.0 sec. and she has as a team-mate the remarkable 15-year-old schoolgirl from Ba, Sulueti Wati.

Sulueti is another to have developed remarkably over the last year. She has acquired a strong physical build and should present a threat in both the 400 and 800 metres.

Shirley Heffernan turned out for the trials, equalled the Games record for the 80 metres hurdles and a week later took a tenth of a second off that. She does it all so effortlessly that one gets the impression that she is capable of returning a time of about 12.5 sec. for the distance, Eleanor Phillips broke the Fiji record for the shot put at the trials with a distance of 39 ft 7i in.; a week later Akisi Naimotu was only an inch off it; and in training Merewai Turukawa, the Games champion, had a put of 39 ft 10 in.

A repeat of these three performances would, I think, be good enough for the first three places in the event.

Turukawa, Salote and Naimotu make up a formidable trio for the discus and javelin.

Swimming

When 14 national records were broken at the final swimming selec tion trials at Suva, it was felt that Fiji’s medal-winning prospects had risen appreciably.

The majority of the team had been in training since March and

this, together with the experience gained during the trip to Noumea in January, prompted the selectors to predict that at least half of the gold medals for swimming would return to Fiji.

Their predictions were based on reports of times being swum in other territories, and it was felt that all members of the team had an excellent chance of gaining a medal. 6 5 The standard of swimming in Fiji has improved tremendously since the first Games, due largely to improved methods of training, the visit by a Noumea team to Fiji in August last year and the return visit by a Fiji team in January.

Strongest opposition at the Games is expected to come from the New Caledonian swimmers, who have had an advantage with the use of a world class Olympic pool and the avail ability of France’s leading coach.

Though Fiji’s standards have risen, the colony will be represented by a younger team than at the Suva Games. t-u * i The youngest member, Olive Pickering, is only 11; David Lane and Kay Le Comte are 13. The team average is under 17 years. It is ex pected that Olive will be the youngest competitor at the Games, The number of events on the pro gramme has been increased from 14

to 19, and most of the swimmers will have a strenuous period of com petition with heats and finals being held within four days.

Fiji will be represented by 17 swimmers, the same number as in the First Games. Four of these swimmers were in the 1963 team and 12 visited Noumea in January.

Boxing Improves

After a period when it looked as if Fiji’s boxing was going rapidly downhill, the sport bounced back with a new vigour this year, and the seven selected boxers will form a team which is at least as strong as the team for the first Games.

A squad was selected after the Fiji championships in October and the boxers were given specialised training for two weeks before final trials were held.

Out of this came a team of fit, hard boxers who should be able to hold their own against amateur boxers anywhere.

Coach Hector Hatch expected to have his charges right up to peak condition just before they left for Noumea.

Probably the most frustrated boxer of the lot is policeman Varamu Dikidikilate, who has gone for some time without opponents because nobody can be found who is willing to go into the ring with him.

Even at the Suva Games Varamu had no overseas opposition in the heavyweight class. He fought another Fijian and was presented with a silver cup instead of a medal.

The town of Labasa has cause for pride in that two boxers from this Vanua Levu centre who started box ing only this year gained selection.

Both Subhas Chand (flyweight) and Jioji Ramasima (light-heavy weight) won Fiji championships and Games selection after only eight fights.

Weight-Lifting

Though the weight-lifters are absolutely in the dark about standards in other territories, they feel that they should bring back a number of medals, and they have reason for this.

Comparing their standards with the New Zealand championships last year, they point to the fact that every one of their seven lifters would have been able to gain a place against the New Zealanders.

Weightlifting Association president Kam Gajadhar feels that in light heavyweight Filimoni Ramanu they have a real “find”. He would be well up to Commonwealth class if

given the opportunity of further training and specialised coaching. He has totalled 815 lb, which is better than New Zealand’s third heavy weight.

Bantamweight J. K. Nair is another the association has great hopes for. He has lifted a total of 510 lb, whereas the New Zealand champion in the class last year got up to 495 lb.

Mr. Gajadhar describes the light weight A. K. Nair as “a real artist” in the way of technique. He had the benefit of some training in New Zealand when he was down there on leave.

Like so many other sportsmen in Fiji the weight-lifters have welcomed the opportunity of competition. Many of them have yet to learn that the sport relies as much on technique as on brute strength.

At the time of the Suva Games indoor basketball was a sport played only at Suva and by a handful of players.

It’s quite a different story now.

During the season hundreds play every week. At both Suva and Lautoka games are played on two crowded nights a week, and courts are to be found as far afield as Taveuni and Vatukoula.

Comparisons are difficult, but

with all the extra competition avail able within Fiji it would probably be fair to say that Fiji will be able to field a team capable of doing far better than its sixth placing of 1963.

A women’s team will be fielded for the first time, and one can only guess at their prospects, but it is a fit and a fast team.

The lawn tennis people may face a struggle to retain their gold medal, as a visit by a New Caledonian team earlier this year indicated that the host territory has the material to form a very strong team.

Fiji got through to the final in 1963 after three very close games and then scored a 5-3 win over New Caledonia to win the gold medal.

Table Tennis Upset

While selections in other sports were made quietly and attracted little adverse comment, we got a touch of politics when the table tennis team was announced. A full-scale row developed, and a number of leading players were not slow to get their names into print in their efforts to tell the world what they thought about it.

The selectors were not particularly perturbed. They pointed out that similar complaints were made in 1963 by some of the same players. There were no changes then, and Fiji won the gold medal.

No changes were made this time either, and it is felt that Fiji has a good chance of retaining that gold medal.

The one aim of the women’s out door basketball team is also “to retain that gold medal”, Adi Sama nunu Cakobau, the manager of the team, feels that it is just as strong as the 1963 winning team.

The coach, New Zealand Maori girl Rata Hakaraia, has the girls playing a more open type of game than they did previously, and, perhaps more importantly, she has taught them that basketball is a game for brains as well as brawn.

Fiji's Ana Ramacake will be all out to win two medals at the Games —for the

long jump and sprint.