Meli Laddpeter 
Apart from competing in the Marist 7s tournament more than a month ago, 19-year-old Joshua Vunicagi had never set foot on the track at HFC Bank Stadium—until yesterday, as he made his final preparations for the Coca-Cola Games later this week.
The Beqa native will be competing at the nationals for the first time, and in his final year of high school, he hopes to leave a lasting legacy.
The year-13 student of Savusavu Secondary School returns to Suva not as a rugby player, but as an athlete in their school colors.
The blue ribbon winner from the Savusavu zone is expecting tough competition in his 100 and 200 meter events.
“It’s going to be quite tough for me because I’ve never ran on this tracks before, unlike the athletes here in Suva who train on the tracks every day. The only other time I stood on this tracks was in the Marist 7s. Apart from that, today is also my first time. There’s a huge difference to where we train back home, so it’s not going to be easy.”
Schools from across Fiji gathered at the HFC Bank Stadium yesterday for some final preparations for the Coke Games which starts tomorrow.
