Fiji’s Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, 75, turned back the clock by winning bronze in the shot put at the Oceania Athletics Championships on Wednesday.
Rabuka represented Fiji at the 1974 Commonwealth Games in the decathlon, shot put, discus and hammer throw and also represented the country in rugby union.
The People’s Alliance leader placed behind two Australians in the over-65 division at the Oceania Championships in Suva, Fiji, with a throw of 7.09 metres.
“I hope that I can inspire the younger generation to adopt healthy habits even at age 75,” Rabuka wrote on Facebook.
“It was a real morale booster for me,” Rabuka added, along with a photo of himself holding the medal.
Rabuka narrowly missed out on a medal last week, finishing fourth in the discus.
“It will be exhilarating to compete against the best throwers from Australia, French Polynesia and New Zealand,” Rabuka told The Fiji Times, adding that “as community leaders, we have a responsibility to mentor and encourage others to shun harmful habits such as alcohol, smoking and drugs.”
Rabuka, a former soldier and athlete, became prime minister in 1992 and served until the 1999 elections.
Rabuka, who was defeated in a re-election bid in 2018, is set to return to power as leader of the coalition government in the December 2022 general election, ending former prime minister Frank Bainimarama’s 16-year rule.
