Former Jasper Williams High School sprinter Melania Turaga is one of the most recent recipients of the ONOC-OSFO Scholarship, which allows her to study and train in the US. She is excited to take part in the 400m and 800m track events at the mini-games in Palau.
Rusiate Matai, Vilorina Naibena, and Waisele Inoke are also recipients of the scholarship, and they all attend Neosho Community College in Kansas, USA. They will be part of the team Fiji contingent for the games.
In her first year competing for Neosho Community College, Turaga established herself as one of the college's top sprinters.
She set a new National Indoor Women's 800m record with a time of 2:23.00s an impressive but not as good as her 2:19.34s which she ran at the 2018 Coca-Cola Games a time that has her sitting at number 9 in Fiji's top 10 all-time in the Women's 800m.
Turaga will be teaming up with the likes of Heleina Young, Vilorina Naibena, and Adi Ceva Lutumailagi in the 4x400m as they hope to challenge the status quo at this year's Pacific Mini Games.
The mini-games in Palau will begin on the 29th of June.
