WITHOUT DELHI, FIJIAN TEAM PRIMED FOR OCEANIA SWIM MEET
May 28: With Fiji banned from the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi in October, the Oceania Championships in Samoa will take on an even greater opportunity for the country's rising swim stars to shine on the international stage...IAN HANSON is the official Oceania correspondent for the FINA Aquatics Magazine.
The 8th Oceania Swimming Championships will be swum between June 13 and 21, 2010 at Samoa's Tuana'imato Aquatic Centre in capital Apia and the open water events at the Faleasiu Open Water course.
Australian-based schoolboy Douglas Miller, who trains under Australian Olympic coach Matt Brown at Nudgee College in Brisbane, will spearhead the 11-strong Fijian team, named after the Oceania Trials at Suva's National Aquatic Centre.
Miller, who was a member of the Nudgee school team that successfully defended the prestigious GPS Championship this year, will be one of five men and six women who will contest the six-day meet in Apia.
The meet will continue Miller's international rise after swimming in the FINA World Championships in Rome last year and his outstanding efforts at the Fijian National Championships, where the talented 17-year-old upstaged Fiji's five-time Olympic legend, Carl Probert over 200m freestyle.
(Probert, now 35, contested every Olympic Games between 1992 and 2008 and is twice Miller's age).
Joining Miller in the Fijian team will be a host of rising stars including 13-year-old Meli Malani who set a new under 15 years record for 50m freestyle at the Oceania Championship Trials, clocking 26.07 - 0.27 faster than Calum Liew's 2003 record set at the South Pacific Games.
Also continuing her international career will be 15-year-old butterflyer Tieri Erasito, the 2008 Fijian Female Swimmer of the Year.
Erasito, who also swum in Rome 12 months ago, won the 50, 100 and 200m freestyle in Suva - breaking her own National under 17s girls record in the 200m butterfly - stopping the clock at 2:37.96. Erasito has also been named as swimming's one universality selection to represent Fiji in the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games (August 14-26).
Another Fijian to watch in Apia will be 15-year-old 2009 Female Swimmer of the Year Cheyenne Rova who won five events at the Trials - the 50, 100 and 200m backstroke and the 50 and 100m freestyle.
She will be joined by her 13-year-old sister Adele, who finished second to her sister in both the 50m freestyle and 50m backstroke.
The Fijian team to be supported in Samoa by a new sponsorship from Vodafone, is:
Men - Douglas Miller (Tritons Club, Suva), Meli Malani (Race Club, Suva), Paul Elaisa (Tritons Club, Suva), Elaijie Erasito (Tritons Club, Suva), David Dugunacanavanua (Babales Swim Club, Suva). Non - travelling reserve: Kinver Nicholls (Babales Swim Club, Suva).
Female - Tieri Erasito (Tritons Club, Suva), Cheyenne Rova (Barracudas Swim Club, Nadi), Adele Rova (Barracudas Swim Club, Nadi), Akanisi Vesikula (Tritons Club, Suva), Skye Eden (Makos Swim Club, Nadi), Matelita Buadromo (Tritons Club, Suva).
Coaches: Maftoa Pene and Eugene Panuve.