It was a proud moment for Lavenia Marama of Dawasamu Secondary School, as she took out the senior women 400 metres in the Tailevu Zone on Wednesday at the ANZ Stadium.

Winning gold in the zone has not been a problem for the 18-year-old from Nataleira, Dawasamu as she has been winning gold since Year 9.

“I am really excited but I was confident I would do well and win,” Marama said.

“I’ve been training really hard and it was not easy, competition has been getting tough right from when I was in Form Three (Year 9).

“But I thank God for giving me the strength to do well and win my race.”

The next big thing will be the Coca-Cola Games where Marama has not won a gold medal but she is hoping that this year will be her year.

“I have taken part in the Coca- Cola Games before but I have not won a gold medal and I want that to change this year,” she said.

“It is my last year in school and I want to make it memorable by winning a gold medal in the Coke Games.

“I know it will not be easy because there are a lot of other good athletes out there in other schools but I will be doing my best.”

Running has not always been something Marama wanted to do but it was through motivation from her school teachers that got her to run.

Winning is not only about getting a gold medal for the school but was about giving back to the parents who have supported the school and its athletes.

“My teacher told me that I should get out there and run and make the parents of the Dawasamu proud,” Marama said.

“The biggest support for us has come from the parents of the students and we wanted to give something back to them today.”

Edited by Osea Bola

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