Marist Brothers High School sprinter Sakaraia Raiqavi has credited teamwork, determination and strong support from family and fans after their dominant performance in the 4x400 metres sub-junior relay at the Coca-Cola Games in Suva.
Raiqavi, speaking to fijivillage News on behalf of his team mates, says the victory was made even more special as he lined up alongside his “brothers” in the relay team, describing the moment as one he would not trade for anything.
He says he is thankful to have his brothers running in the relay with him, and he wouldn’t have asked for a better team.
The Marist team delivered a remarkable run, clocking 3 minutes 44.73 seconds to break the previous 2024 record of 3 minutes 44.90 seconds, set by Mahatma Gandhi Memorial High School.
Raiqavi admitted he was unaware they had broken the record until after the race.
While the other three members of the relay team were absent from the interview as they collected medals from other events, Raiqavi says the team shared the same excitement and pride in their achievement.
He says mental strength played a key role in pushing through to the finish.
He says during the race, in his mind he kept thinking that he should win and push through.
