Kesaia Boletakanakadavu’s celebration for winning the 100 metre Senior Girls event at last Friday’s Coca-Cola Games was cut short.

This was after she was told that her mentor and former coach had died in a tragedy at sea off the coast of Kadavu.

The Mahatma Gandhi Memorial High School sprinter’s former coach and school teacher, Joni Tabakau, had died after encountering the ordeal at sea last Friday night. Mr Tabakau’s wife, was also on the boat with three others when the incident occurred.

Sprint queen Kesaia Boletakanakadvu said: “My former coach Joni Tabakau was like a father to me.”

Kesaia was in tears while reminiscing about the time she shared with the late Mr Tabakau during her year at Kadavu Provincial Secondary School.

She was still struggling to accept that her former coach, mentor and fatherly figure in Kadavu was gone.

“I learnt of his passing on day three of the 2022 Coca-Cola Games after I was alerted by a friend on Facebook,” she said.

“I could not concentrate on the game after I had learnt that Mr Tabakau was no more.”

But I knew I had to get on the tracks to run, as that is what he would want from me.

“The medals that I have won at the Coca-Cola Games are dedicated to him. I would’ve not been where I am today without his patience, love and dedication.

“He was the one who spotted the talent in me. During trainings, he and I became very close. I would share anything with him.”

Kesaia Boletakanakadavu, the winner of the 100 metre Senior Girls event at the 2022 Coca-Cola Games.

He was a very understanding man. “He literally invested hundreds of hours in one year, teaching me, developing me, and encouraging me.”

He taught me everything he knew about athletics. “I am forever grateful that he did that for me. He saw that I had passion and supported my efforts.”

The 18-year-old said the mantra ‘the sky is the limit’ was his philosophy for coaching and life. “I would hear the phrase hundreds of times during training,” she said.

“What he meant by that was if you want to be truly great at anything then you have to be willing to battle all the way to the end of the activity.”

“He wanted us to battle all the way until the end of every drill, every practice, every game and every season.”

Kesaia’s Father, Manoa Meli said the late Mr Tabakau moulded her daughter into who she is today.

“I would like to thank him for giving his time, my daughter would have not been where she is today without his help,” Mr Meli said.

My deepest condolence to the family of the late Mr Tabakau,” he said.

When approached yesterday, the survivors of the ordeal kindly declined for an interview as they were still traumatised by the events that happened on Friday.

Distraught mother shares However, Mr Tabakau’s mother Livia Dovia spoke to the Fiji Sun last night. She said her son, her daughter-in-law and a few other teachers, travelled to Rakiraki Village to attend a fundraising event.

She said they left Kavala for Rakiraki Village at around 4pm last Friday. Ms Dovia said her son was doubleminded whether to attend the fundraiser or not.

Livia Dovia holding a photo of her late son, Joni Tabakau, at Davuilevu on August 21, 2022. Photo: Nacanieli Tuilevuka.

“After the fundraising had finished, the villagers told them to sleep over in the village instead of travelling back to Kavala as the wind was strong and there were rough seas.”

“But the boat owner still insisted that they travel back that night; it was on their way back when water started entering the boat as the seas were rough.”

Ms Dovia said she would remember her fourth child as a loving man, caring husband and father to his children. According to Police, Mr Tabakau and four others were travelling from Rakiraki Village in Yale, Kadavu when the boat capsized.

Police spokesperson Ana Naisoro said the 38-year-old teacher of Kadavu Provincial School was travelling from Rakiraki Village on Kadavu to Kavala when boat they travelled in capsized after encountering strong wind and rough seas.

The travel from Rakiraki Village to Kavala, where Mr Tabakau and his family lived takes 30 minutes by boat.

Police had also confirmed that Mr Tabakau was the only deceased in the incident as his body was later recovered by the remaining survivors that night.

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