Fijivillage
NEWS SPORTS IN DEPTH
29 April, 2026, 10:06 pm
Central - 23°C Clouds
IN DEPTH
29 April, 2026, 10:06 pm Central - 23°C Clouds

14 yr old Grace Khelan wins second gold in New Zealand

14 yr old Grace Khelan wins second gold in New Zealand

By Alipate Narawa , Vijay Narayan
10/04/2026

14-year-old Grace Khelan  won her second gold medal for Fiji at the New Zealand Age Group Swimming Championships.

Khelan won her 100 metres Freestyle women's heat with a time of 59.57 seconds in Hastings.

She had earlier won gold in the 50 metres freestyle for her age group.

Fiji Aquatics Performance Coach, Sharon Smith says Grace has always been a superstar since she was under 12.

Smith says Grace has been waiting till she turned 14 to experience and gain exposure internationally.

She says Grace's first international meet was in Dunedin last month, where she won 3 gold medals, and now in Hastings, she is racing NZ's top age groupers. 

The Performance Coach says Grace has achieved many qualifying times for next month's Oceania Championships, which will be held in Suva. 

She says Grace's performance so far in Hastings shows we need more overseas experience and exposure to be able to produce results, as she has broken age-group records as well.

Smith says that Grace is in the top two in a few events in Fiji.

She adds her Head Coach, Esther Malani, has worked hard to get Grace to where she is and has been very patient with her development and pathway.

Next up for Grace and her team is hopefully the Junior Pan Pacific and Youth Olympics this year, Tahiti next year, as well as the Commonwealth Youth Games.

Her father, Michael Khelan, says he gives God all the glory and honour for his girl.

He says they are so proud of her as all the hard work and sacrifice is paying off.

He reminds his daughter to stay humble as this is just the start of God's great vision for her.

FNRL
FEATURE NEWS
Person known as King Khan denied bail and remanded in custody
The bail application for Imran Khan who is also known as King Khan, has been refused by the Nadi Magistrates Court, and he has been further remanded i...
4 hours ago
LATEST NEWS
Sister company of CFL appoints Esther Gegelagi as CEO
Communications Fiji Limited, the parent company of PNGFM, has appointed Esther Gegelagi as the Chief Executive Officer for PNGFM Ltd.Gegelagi brings ...
2 hours ago

New national risk profiling system to help Fiji communities better prepare for disasters
Communities across Fiji could soon be better prepared for disasters as government agencies work on creating a centralised national risk profiling ...
5 hours ago

"They are still out there” – father’s hope remains as search continues
A father of one of the nine missing fishermen says the moment they received news that the boat had been found without any sign of the men was filled ...
5 hours ago

New civic education resources launched to prepare future voters
Future voters in Fiji are expected to gain a stronger understanding of democracy, civic responsibility and their rights through a new education ...
5 hours ago

Major maintenance and upgrades underway at Lautoka and Labasa mills-Tunabuna
Major maintenance and targeted upgrades at the Lautoka and Labasa sugar mills are being carried out by the Fiji Sugar Corporation ahead of the next ...
6 hours ago



Stay tuned for the latest news on our radio stations

CFL radio frequencies
IN DEPTH
Seaqaqa and Labasa cane farmers fear for livelihood due non-renewal of leases
While hundreds of leases have been renewed, non-renewals and subdivision of cane land for residential use in Seaqaqa are leaving many farming ...
9 hours ago

Citizens to oppose proposed TNG Waste-to-Energy incinerator in Saweni, Vuda
Serious concerns are being raised regarding a proposed Australian company's TNG Waste-to-Energy incinerator in Saweni, Vuda, and a group of concerned ...
1 day ago

Drug lord Jone Vakarisi dies in military custody as investigations find unauthorised weapons outside RFMF inventory
Druglord, Jone Vakarisi has died in military custoday, 3 other associates have been released after questioning, 1 RFMF personnel remains in military ...
8 days ago

TOP