Seini Irene Leweniqila will head into the 2026 Coca‑Cola Games carrying more than her own ambitions — she will be the lone female athlete among 28 male representatives from Lelean Memorial School. The Year 13 student punched her ticket to the Fiji finals after claiming the Blue‑Ribbon title at the Triple N Zone Athletics meet earlier this month, a result that has marked her out as Lelean’s solitary female contender on the national secondary schools track stage.
Leweniqila, originally from Savusavu with maternal links to Macuata, only joined Lelean this year after completing Years 9 to 12 at Penang Sangam High School. Her move to Suva followed a family transfer: she now lives with an aunt and uncle while her parents remain in Savusavu. Speaking of the support around her, Leweniqila thanked “the Lord, my family and everyone who supported me,” underscoring the personal network behind her breakthrough to the Coca‑Cola Games.
Lelean team manager Litia Kaloucava said coaches and teammates have noticed Leweniqila’s calm confidence and positive attitude since her arrival. “She’s very confident and always stay positive,” Kaloucava said, adding that Seini has embraced the challenge of being the only girl in a large male contingent. “Even though she’s on her own, we believe she can do it.”
Kaloucava framed Leweniqila’s selection and the wider team’s preparations as part of a broader focus on growth rather than only podium finishes. “They wanted to compete in the Fiji Finals not only to win but to work on their personal best,” she said. Training has intensified with morning and afternoon sessions overseen by the coaching staff, and Kaloucava reported marked improvements since the team shifted into camp: attendance and attitude improved, and the athletes have bonded — a development she said is particularly important for relay squads.
Lelean enter the Coca‑Cola Games with recent pedigree but unfinished business. The school secured a silver medal in 2024 and a bronze last year, and Kaloucava is optimistic about converting that upward momentum into gold this time. The boys are expected to target standout performances in the 4x100m and 4x400m relays, while Leweniqila will carry Lelean’s female hopes into whatever blue‑ribbon event she qualified for at zones.
Leweniqila’s presence as the sole female competitor from Lelean highlights ongoing questions about girls’ representation in school athletics even as national and sporting bodies try to broaden opportunities. Initiatives such as girls‑only development programs in other sports this year reflect a push to lift female participation; Leweniqila’s move from Penang Sangam and rapid rise at Lelean provides a local example of a young woman responding to those opportunities and making an immediate impact.
As the Coca‑Cola Games approach, Lelean’s camp reports steady progress in fitness and teamwork. For Leweniqila, qualification and the support around her mean she will step onto Fiji’s biggest secondary school athletics stage not just as a lone girl, but as a visible measure of her school’s investment in talent and the individual perseverance that carried her from Savusavu to Suva and now to the finals.