New Zealand-based sprinter Jeremiah Rogo has signalled a determined return to Fiji athletics after topping the open men's 400m heats at the National Easter Athletics Championship at HFC Bank Stadium in Suva yesterday. Competing at the 2026 Easter Athletics Games, Rogo said his immediate goal is to secure a qualifying time for next year’s Oceania Games and to use the platform to help lift the standard of sprinting in Fiji.
Despite arriving in the country only shortly before the meet and battling wet conditions on the track, Rogo said he stayed focused on the mission. “It was a bit wet, but I still got to push through,” he said after the race. The Auckland-based athlete stressed that his ties to Fiji are central to his campaign: representing the nation on a bigger stage is both an ambition and a responsibility.
Rogo told reporters he sees untapped potential across Fiji’s athletics scene and wants to play a role in its development. “There are not many people in Fiji doing athletics,” he said. “I want to help bring everyone up. That is what we do in New Zealand, we can do it here as well.” He described qualifying for the Oceania Games as more than the end of a long season — a beginning of a larger effort to inspire younger athletes and contribute to coaching and training pathways.
The heat victory also carried a strong personal dimension. Jeremiah’s father, former national representative Hendry Rogo, watched his son’s return to the local track with pride, describing the moment as the revival of a family name in Fijian athletics. “It was a moment that carried years of sacrifice, distance and quiet perseverance,” Hendry recalled. “It had been a long time since the name ‘Rogo’ echoed on the athletics tracks, and seeing it re-emerge brought overwhelming pride and emotion to me.”
Hendry, who now lives in Auckland with his son, acknowledged the challenges the family has faced but said their connection to Fiji never faded. He thanked the local athletics community for its warm welcome and encouragement since their arrival, and outlined the family’s broader mission: to give back to the sport at home, help raise the standard of the 400 metres in Fiji, and to inspire a new generation of competitors.
Rogo’s heat win at the HFC Bank Stadium adds momentum to his campaign ahead of regional selection windows. With the Oceania Games seen as a key stepping stone for Pacific athletes aiming for larger international competition, his pursuit will be watched closely by local coaches and administrators who have long sought stronger domestic depth in sprint events. The Rogo family’s presence at the Easter Games — and Jeremiah’s early success — represents the latest development in a small but growing movement of diaspora athletes returning to contribute to sport in Fiji.
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