Errol Qaqa at last year's Pacific Mini Games in Palau.

While many athletes rely on rivals beside them to sharpen their performance, Fiji’s 110-metre hurdles gold medalist Errol Qaqa has spent most of his career chasing excellence on his own.

Qaqa remains the only Fijian competing in the men’s 110-metre hurdles, a reality that has made his journey both unique and challenging as he prepares for two major international events later this year.

The national hurdler is currently gearing up for the Oceania Games in Darwin in May, while also being included in Fiji’s athletics squad preparing for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, in July.

To build form ahead of those competitions, Qaqa and his team are planning several regional tours to Australia and New Zealand in the coming months.

But behind the preparation lies a challenge many athletes never face — competing without domestic rivals.

Qaqa says when he lines up in local competitions, he often runs alone in his event, unlike athletes in other disciplines who benefit from strong competition pushing them to better times and distances.

“For me, every time I compete, I’m always running by myself, so it’s really hard to gauge where I am.”

He explains that while other events feature multiple athletes pushing each other to improve, hurdling in Fiji has remained largely a one-man discipline.

The lone hurdler admits this makes it difficult to measure his true progress and maintain competitive intensity.

Qaqa recalls that when he first began his career there was another hurdler competing for Fiji, and the two briefly trained and competed together before the senior athlete retired.

Since then, he has carried the responsibility of keeping the event alive in the country.

Training can also be isolating, with Qaqa often working alone alongside his coach without another hurdler beside him to challenge or pace him through sessions.

Despite the obstacles, Qaqa remains determined to push forward.

“It’s been like that for a while. I could say I’m used to it now, but that has never stopped me from pursuing my goals in the 110-metre hurdles.”

He will next turn his focus to the Oceania Games in Darwin, with hopes of building form toward a possible appearance at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow later this year.

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