Taina Basiyalo 
Heleina Young
Team Fiji athlete Heleina Young says she never expected to walk away with the Most Outstanding Female Athlete award at the 2025 Pacific Mini Games and she certainly did not expect to win as many medals as she did.
Just two nights ago, the Fijian sprinter stamped her mark on the regional stage in Palau, delivering a series of remarkable performances that earned her three gold medals and the top individual honour of the Games.
Young, who returned to the competitive arena after six years, says being able to perform at such a high level at the 12th edition of the Games means everything to her.
She went into the competition with no expectations but ended up achieving far more than she had imagined.
“Honestly this means everything to me, after leaving the sport for a long time and returning just at the beginning of this year, I honestly did not expect the award nor did I expect all these medals to be honest. We just worked towards doing our best at the competition and we actually surprised ourselves as well as achieved our goals and I’m very grateful for that.”
Young made her return to the tracks this year after six years away and playing rugby.
She bagged three gold medals after running in the women’s 4x400m race, 200m and 400m, 4x400m mixed relay team and and 4x100m women’s relay race.
She arrived with the first batch of Team Fiji athletes and officials this morning and anotgher group arrives tomorrow.
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