Fiji Paralympian Naibili Vatunisolo set a new Oceania record by throwing the shot put 9.19 meters at the Paris Paralympic Games held at Stade de France last Thursday.
Upon arriving at Nadi Airport, Vatunisolo expressed her surprise at achieving the record, stating, “I was shocked when they told me that I had set the new Oceania record.” She added that the rainy conditions made it challenging, causing the shot put to be slippery.
The competition featured a mixed class event—F42, F44, and F64—where she finished in 10th place among 15 competitors. Vatunisolo mentioned that she could have performed better if the weather had cooperated, noting, “Although it was raining, the game had to go on.” Another fellow athlete, Selina Seau, finished in 14th place.
Vatunisolo’s personal best before this event was 9.05 meters. The F42-44 class is designated for athletes with lower limb impairments competing without prosthetics, while the F61-64 class includes those competing with prosthetics.
Reflecting on her training journey, Vatunisolo said, “It has been a long session of trainings and competitions, and I hope to take a few weeks off before I resume training to prepare for the 2025 World Championship and Palau Mini Games.” She emphasized the need for more local competitors to help elevate the performance level, stating, “There is hardly competition; if there were any, we could be setting more records.”
Earlier this year, Vatunisolo claimed a gold medal in the women’s shot put Ambulatory Para Category at the HFC Bank Stadium in Suva, scoring a total of 77.75. She also secured a bronze medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England, and won another bronze at the Sols23 with a throw of 7.97 meters.