He gave it his best shot!
Fiji’s 75-year-old prime minister, Sitiveni Rabuka, won a bronze medal in shot put at an international championship this week.
Rabuka took third place on Wednesday at the Oceania Athletics Championships in Fiji after hurling the weighty ball nearly eight yards, placing him behind two Australian rivals.
“It was indeed a morale booster for me,” the former soldier shared on Facebook.
“Even at 75, I hope to inspire the younger generation to develop a habit of keeping fit and staying healthy.”
He shared photos of him chucking the metal ball, posing with family and fellow contestants and showing off his bronze medal.
Rabuka wrote that he was grateful to have his wife, grandchildren and great-grandchildren cheering him on from the sidelines.
Earlier in the week, Rabuka finished sixth in the over-75 discus competition, according to reports.
The ancient track-and-field sport requires participants to hurl a heavy wooden disk.
This year’s competition wasn’t Rabuka’s first rodeo — he played rugby for his country and represented it in the decathlon, shot put, discus and hammer at the 1974 Commonwealth Games.
Rabuka first gained widespread attention in 1987 when, as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Fijian military, he led two coups, according to The Independent.
“I was delighted to have participated in the Men’s Masters Shot Put (M65+) in the 2024 Oceania Athletics Championships earlier today along with participants from around the region,” Rabuka said.
The biennial games, founded in 1994, are put on by the Oceania Athletics Association, which covers Australia and New Zealand, Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia.
The tropical island of Fiji is located in Melanesia.
Source: Fiji prime minister, 75, takes bronze in shot put competition, hopes to ‘inspire’ youth
