Yeshnil Karan says the journey to his triple gold medal feat at the 2023 Pacific Games has been long and tough.

Karan won gold in the 3000 meters steeplechase, with two already in the bag from the 10,000 and 5000 meters earlier.

Having being based in Brisbane, Australia under the mentorship of renowned sports administrator Atma Maharaj, the 22-year-old says he got through the challenge by focusing all his energy into his training.

“It’s not easy to be away from family so I sacrificed a lot of time and a lot of effort and interest and I committed my interest towards my goal, what I wanted to achieve and today I made it.”

Karan paid tribute to his coach, Maharaj for his guidance and support.

“Winning three gold medals is not easy, it’s a really big challenge for any individual but I managed to make it just because I did really hard training and it was possible because of my coach who always pushed me.”

Maharaj says he is proud of Karan’s achievements thus far, despite the hot weather conditions in Honiara.

“He’s done his task, he’s won three gold medals for himself, his family and for Fiji.”

Maharaj says a decision will be made later this evening on whether Karan will compete in the half marathon event tomorrow.