Swami Vivekananda College high jumper John Vugakoto announced himself as one of Fiji’s rising athletics talents when he cleared 1.80 metres to break a five‑year‑old junior boys high jump record at the Nadi Zone competition on October 17, 2023. The leap surpassed the standing mark of 1.69m and gives the Naigani village, Batiki, native momentum as he prepares for the nationals at the Coca‑Cola Games.
Vugakoto, who said his primary aim at the zone meet was to win gold, only realised the full significance of his performance after the competition. “In my mind was to get that gold and break the record. When I was jumping, I didn’t know that I had already broken it, so my last attempt my aim was to go higher,” he told reporters. The soft‑spoken athlete added that stepping back into athletics after a break has required discipline and sacrifice, but the results were validating his return.
The 1.80m mark is the latest in a rapid upward trajectory for Vugakoto. He is already the current sub‑junior boys high jump record holder after setting a 1.76m leap last year. That progression — from a 1.76m sub‑junior best to a 1.80m junior record — has buoyed expectations that he can challenge significantly higher heights at the national secondary schools championships.
Vugakoto’s schooling has played a part in shaping his resolve. He began at Mount St Mary’s Primary School in Nadi, moved to Suva Grammar School for Year Nine, and this year returned to Nadi to study at Swami Vivekananda College. He credits the moves and the personal sacrifices involved with fostering the focus required for training and competition. “Training was really tough and I’m just getting back to athletics, but it’s really going well and good,” he said.
With the Nadi Zone record in his locker, Vugakoto has set ambitious targets for the Coca‑Cola Games, the premier event on Fiji’s secondary schools athletics calendar. He is aiming for heights of 1.95m to 2.00m at the national meet — a jump that would place him among the top junior performers in the region and put him on a pathway towards higher honours in senior competition.
This latest development underlines a growing depth in Fiji’s high jump ranks at the youth level and gives coaches and selectors a name to watch ahead of the Coca‑Cola Games. Vugakoto’s combination of recent form, record credentials at both sub‑junior and junior levels, and stated targets make him one of the athletes most likely to shape the event when secondary schools gather for the national championships.
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