Fiji Paralympian Naibili Vatunisolo set a new Oceania record with her shot put throw of 9.19 meters at the Paris Paralympic Games last Thursday, held at Stade de France.
Upon her arrival at Nadi Airport yesterday, Vatunisolo expressed her surprise, stating, “I was shocked when they told me that I had set the new Oceania record.” She remarked that the conditions were challenging due to rain making the shot put slippery.
Competing in a combined class event consisting of F42, F44, and F64 categories, Vatunisolo finished in 10th place among 15 competitors, noting, “I could have done better if it was not for the rain.” She acknowledged that despite the weather, the competition continued as scheduled.
Her fellow athlete, Selina Seau, placed 14th in the event. Vatunisolo’s previous personal best in shot put was 9.05 meters. The F42-44 classification is designated for athletes with lower limb impairments who compete without prosthetics due to limb deficiency, leg length discrepancies, or impaired muscle power, while the F61-64 classification includes those competing with prosthetics.
Vatunisolo, who served as Fiji’s flag bearer at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, shared her plans for the future: “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 also expressed a desire for more local athletes to compete, as this could push them to achieve greater results, stating, “There is hardly competition; if there were, we could be setting more records.”
Earlier this year, Vatunisolo secured gold in the women’s shot put Ambulatory Para Category at the HFC Bank Stadium in Suva with a total score of 77.75. She also earned a bronze medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England, and recently won another bronze medal at the Sols23 with her 7.97-meter throw.