Fiji Paralympian Naibili Vatunisolo set the new Oceania record when she hurled the shot put 9.19 metres at Stade de France last week Thursday at the Paris Paralympic Games.

Arriving at Nadi Airport yesterday Vatunisolo said, “I was shocked when they told me that I had set the new Oceania record.”

“I did not expect it because it was rainy and the shot put was slippery,” she said.

“It was tough because it was a combined class – F42, F44 and F64.

“There were 15 of us and I came 10th, I could have done better if it was not for the rain.

“Then that is how things go, although it was raining the game had to go on.”

Fellow athlete Selina Seau finished 14th.

Vatunisolo’s personal best is 9.05m.

Class F42-44 was for those with lower limb competing without prosthesis affected by limb deficiency, leg length difference, impaired muscle power or impaired passive range of movement; F61-64 included those with lower limb/s competing with prosthesis affected by limb deficiency and leg length difference.

“It has been a long session of trainings and competitions and I hope to take a few weeks off before I resume training to prepare for the 2025 World Championship and Palau Mini Games,” the 2022 Commonwealth Games Fiji flag bearer said.

“Hopefully there would be more locals competing to push us to perform.

“There is hardly competition, if there were any we could be setting more records.”

Earlier this year Vatunisolo won gold in the women’s shot put Ambulatory Para Category with a total score of 77.75 at the HFC Bank Stadium, Suva.

She won bronze at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England.

Naibili also won bronze medal in shot put at the Sols23 with her 7.97m throw.

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