Taveuni native Cheyenne Rova secured Fiji’s lone gold medal in swimming last Saturday.

The Taveuni native won the women’s 200m backstroke final which New Caledonia favourite Lara Grangeon was unable to compete in, Rova clocked a time of 2min: 30sec

Papua New Guinea’s Savannah Tkatchenko, daughter of country’s Sports Minister Justin Tkatchenko, was second and Fiji’s Brooke Smith secured third place.

Grangeon was ruled out of the 200m backstroke final after ending her qualification heat completely submerged under water.

International Swimming Federation (FINA) backstroke rules state that it is permissible for a swimmer to be completely submerged during the turn, at the finish and for a distance of not more than 15m after the start and each turn, but crucially by that point the head must have broken the surface, which in Grangeon’s case it had not.

Grangeon triumphed in the 200m butterfly with a Games record of 2:11.89minutes, finishing ahead of Fiji pair Tieri Erasito and 12-year-old Rosemarie Rova.

Later on Grangeon joined forces with compatriots Emma Terebo, Adeline Williams and Armelle Hidrio to win the 4x100m medley relay for New Caledonia in another Games record of 4:23.64 minutes.

Host nation Papua New Guinea took silver, while Fiji’s came away with bronze.

Caroline Puamau won silver in the women’s 50m freestyle finishing behind New Caledonia Emma Terebo who won gold and PNG Mopio Jane who won bronze.

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