Young gymnasts make Fiji proud in Australia

Eighteen young Fijian gym­nasts have returned home from Australia with medals, awards and valuable internation­al experience after making their mark at a major aerobic gymnas­tics competition in Gold Coast, Australia.

The Flight Club Fiji team, aged between seven and 15, competed at the 2026 National Clubs Carni­val-Aerobic Gymnastics Competi­tion at the Gold Coast Sports and Leisure Centre from September 16 to 19.

For several of the athletes, the event was their first opportunity to compete at a major competition in Australia.

Ayden Akbar delivered a strong performance to win a silver medal in the Youth Individual Male cat­egory, while Faith Lagicere also claimed silver in the Level 4 Indi­vidual, 6---8 years category.

Anna Marney and Abigail Lagicere finished fifth in the Level 3, 6---11 years Multiples category.

The team also received two spe­cial performance awards. Arsene de Luzuriaga was presented with the Strong Performance award in the Level 4 Individual, 12+ years category, while Stella Yee received the Most Energetic Performance award in the Level 3 Individual, 9---11 years category,

The results were the reward for months of preparation, with the athletes training since January despite Flight Club Fiji not having a permanent dedicated training facility.

Leading the young team was 18-year-old head coach and senior AER International Athlete Robyn Santos-Eastgate, who balanced coaching responsibilities with school and her own international­ level training.

Eastgate represented Fiji at the 2026 Suzuki World Cup in Tokyo, Japan, earlier this year. She said her own experiences had taught her the importance of persistence.

"I have more failures than suc­cesses. It was really hard, but I had to keep on going," she said.

Fiji was also represented among the competition officials, with Shivanjani Chandra making her National Clubs Carnival judging debut and Shivani Gounder re­turning for her second year on the judging panel.

Gymnastics Federation of Fiji director Maria Alvarado said the athletes gained more than medals from the experience.

"Beyond the medals and awards, the competition provided the 18 young athletes with valuable in­ternational experience, an oppor­tunity to grow in the sport, and the honour of representing Fiji on the Australian competition floor," she said.

The club acknowledged the par­ents and families who helped fund and support the trip, as well as sponsors Millbrook Hills Law Partners, Modern Kava Limited Auckland New Zealand and On Point Investment Pte Limited.