Mahatma Gandhi Memorial High School’s transformation from also-ran to powerhouse at the Coca‑Cola Games is now undeniable: nine years after leaving the 2016 championships without a single medal, MGM are the defending girls’ division champions and finished seventh in the boys’ standings at the most recent meet. The school’s girls turned in a dominant performance last year, collecting 20 gold, eight silver and five bronze medals, while the boys side managed two gold, two silver and five bronze finishes.
School sport leaders trace the turnaround to a post‑COVID reset that began to take shape in 2022 when the Coca‑Cola Games returned in August after a two‑year hiatus. That year saw the emergence of Blue Ribbon winners from MGM as underdogs on Suva’s track: Waisele Inoke and Kesaia Boletakanakadavu upset athletes from established athletics schools to claim top honours, clocking 11.10 seconds and 12.40 seconds respectively in the 100m. Their breakthroughs signalled a wider strengthening of MGM’s sprint and field programmes.
Those 2022 successes fed into last year’s haul, led by young standouts such as Lidia Waqairapoa and Sera Nasilivata, who helped the girls’ team hold its own against traditionally dominant schools including Marist Brothers High School, Adi Cakobau School, Natabua High School, Queen Victoria School and St Joseph’s Secondary. The result elevated MGM into a new tier of school athletics and established them as favourites to defend the girls’ crown heading into 2026.
Principal Rageshwar Prasad said the school is realistic about the challenges ahead, particularly on the boys’ side. “The boys title is out of the question; we are just babies in the boys division,” Prasad said, acknowledging the work still required to build depth and consistency among male athletes. “For the girls, we have to fight tooth and nail to defend,” he added, underlining the school’s determination to retain its status.
MGM’s rapid rise — from zero medals in 2016 to defending girls’ champions within a decade — highlights how focused development, coupled with opportunities created when competitions resumed after COVID interruptions, can reshape a school’s sporting fortunes. Coaches and administrators now face the twin tasks of consolidating the girls’ programme that produced last year’s medals and accelerating development in the boys’ ranks so MGM can compete for overall honours in future meets.
As preparations begin for the 2026 Coca‑Cola Games, MGM will enter as a benchmark for girls’ sprinting and a programme under construction for boys. How the school balances nurturing its young stars while expanding its talent pool across genders will determine whether its recent ascent is sustained or regarded as a brief golden era.