Women's Handball U17 Upsets Australia
This is the first time a Fiji women's side has finished in the top three since the game was introduced in 2016. In the U19 competition, the Fiji women's side beat Cook Islands to win fifth place 28-19.
Monday 20 October 2025 | 04:00
Fiji Women's Under-17 handball team (standing, left-right) Ro Banuve Logavatu, Lella Feresi, Ana Biu, Paulina Nagata, Mereani Mota, Paulini Raogo, Esther Bola (sitting, left to right): Senitirau Kotoinaqara, Miliakere Noa, Rositalei Matakarawa, Adi Sainimili Logavatu, Elizabeth Colata, Valerie Raicakacaka.
It was a third-place finish for the Fiji Women's handball Under-17 side at the International Handball Federation 2025 Trophy Oceania Junior competition in Rarotonga, Cook Islands. They beat Australia 24-19 in a nailbiting encounter.
The Sainimili Logavatu-led side scored first and maintained the lead throughout. To reach the bronze playoff, Fiji beat powerhouse Tahiti 26-20.
Elizabeth Colata won the Most Valuable Player award for both the Tahiti and Australia matches.
Despite a heavily strapped left knee, Colata maintained her goal scoring form throughout the competition. Colata is a 100m and 200m sprinter.
She attends Mahatma Gandhi Memorial School (MGM). She hails from Naivaka, Bua with maternal links to Matei, Taveuni.
This is the first time a Fiji women's side has finished in the top three since the game was introduced in 2016. In the U19 competition, the Fiji women's side beat Cook Islands to win fifth place 28-19.
The side return tomorrow with most team members expected to sit for their annual exams the next day, Wednesday, October 22.
