Queen Victoria School ended a 33-year wait for boys’ top honours at the Coca‑Cola Games after the annual secondary schools athletics championship concluded yesterday at HFC Bank Stadium in Suva. The Tailevu school clinched the boys division by the narrowest of margins, finishing one gold medal ahead of defending champions Marist Brothers High School.
QVS closed the meet with a haul of 10 gold, 11 silver and seven bronze medals, while Marist Brothers finished on nine gold, six silver and seven bronze. The single-gold difference underlined how tightly contested the boys competition was right to the end, with both schools collecting identical bronze tallies but QVS’s greater depth across silver-medal placings ultimately proving decisive.
The victory marks a significant resurgence for QVS, which had not topped the Coca‑Cola Games boys standings for more than three decades. The result hands the Tailevu school a long-awaited return to the summit of Fiji’s biggest secondary schools athletics carnival and hands Marist Brothers the task of reclaiming the title next season.
In the girls division, Mahatma Gandhi Memorial High School continued their recent dominance, taking their third straight overall crown. MGMMHS amassed 15 gold, eight silver and six bronze medals to secure the championship, well clear of second-placed Adi Cakobau High School, which recorded seven gold, three silver and seven bronze.
The Coca‑Cola Games, the premier stage for Fiji’s emerging young athletes, again showcased fierce rivalries between traditional powerhouses from around the country. The HFC Bank Stadium in Suva provided the setting for a packed schedule of track and field events as schools battled for points that decide the overall boys and girls titles.
QVS’s breakthrough this year and MGMMHS’s continued supremacy in the girls division are the main takeaways from an edition that produced both a historic comeback and sustained dominance. With margins small in key contests, the outcomes set up compelling storylines for coaches, athletes and supporters as preparations begin for next year’s championships.