Church College of Fiji and Mahatma Gandhi Memorial High School emerged as the blue-ribbon winners at the Coca‑Cola Games Suva Zone Two athletics meet on Monday, with Jean Luc Kalowia and Lidia Waqairapoa taking the feature titles in front of rivals from 22 participating schools.
Kalowia, representing Church College (formerly LDS College), crossed the line in a winning time of 11.00 seconds to claim the boys’ blue-ribbon race. Now in his third year of living in Fiji, Kalowia credited the victory to disciplined preparation and long hours of training, saying his hard work had paid off in the big moment. His performance anchored a strong showing for Church College in the zone competition.
Mahatma Gandhi Memorial High School’s Lidia Waqairapoa took the girls’ blue‑ribbon race, finishing in 12.24 seconds. Waqairapoa had been touted as a favourite after producing impressive times in the heats, and she delivered again from lane six in the final, closing strongly to secure the win for MGM. Coaches and spectators had singled her out following the preliminary rounds, and she confirmed that status on the track.
The zone meet — one of several qualifiers leading to the national Coca‑Cola Games finals — drew athletes from across Suva Zone Two battling in a full programme of track and field events. Organisers said competition would continue today as remaining zone titles are decided and schools chase qualification for the national stage.
Kalowia’s victory adds to a growing crop of sprinting talent in the zone and underlines the impact of focused training stints for athletes who have recently relocated to Fiji. Waqairapoa’s consistent form through heats and the final also highlights MGM’s strength in girls’ sprint events this season.
With the zone programme still under way, attention now turns to how both schools will prepare for the next rounds. Coaches at both Church College and MGM praised their athletes’ composure under pressure and signalled they would keep fine‑tuning technique and race execution in the days ahead as the Coca‑Cola Games campaign progresses.
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