Meli Laddpeter 
Fourteen-year-old swimmer Grace Khelan is setting her sights high as she prepares to represent Fiji at the 2026 Dakar Youth Olympic Games in Senegal later this month.
The Taveuni lass has enjoyed a breakthrough year, establishing herself as one of Fiji’s promising young swimming talents through a series of impressive performances at local and international competitions.
Earlier this year, Khelan claimed three medals at the New Zealand Short Course Championships and secured three gold medals at the New Zealand Age Group Swimming Championships in Hastings.
She also made her mark at the Fiji National Schools Age Group Championship, where she set four championship records in the girls’ 13–14 age category, underlining her growing potential in the sport.
The Year 10 student of Jai Narayan College says training has been intense over the past few weeks as she fine-tunes her preparation for the international competition.
“Mum and dad has been saying to just go with God and respect everyone and just trust the process. My goal is to try to get into the finals and just try to win a medal for Fiji.”
Khelan has also been named one of Fiji’s flag bearers for the opening ceremony alongside triathlete Josiah Croker.
The Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games will run from October 31 to November 13 in Senegal.
