BUADROMO EYEING RIO

Saturday, August 08, 2015

The second and final race for Fiji’s Matelita Buadromo was in the Women’s 100m Freestyle, along with three other Oceania athletes. Her previous race in this event was in the Pacific Games in Papua New Guinea, several weeks before, in which she achieved a time of 58.29 seconds and a silver medal.

Now competing in the World Championships, in Kazan, Buadromo aimed to boast a similar if not quicker time in this event. By the halfway stage she was 4th in the heat by a small margin, posting 28.38 seconds. Her second 50m, on the other hand, improved her standing as she raced to a final 50m time of 30.15 seconds the second fastest in her heat for the final 50m. This resulted in Matelita winning the Heat in 58.53 seconds. The Dolphin Swim Club member was satisfied with the swim;

“It was a better effort in the 100m compared to the 200m and I’ve worked on things that I missed in the 200m. An example would be the turns so I worked more on those.. I feel it was a good race and touching first is always nice to see.

The limited time period between the two competitions added to the impressive nature of getting a time so close to her personal best.

“I felt it was a really good race considering it was only two and a half weeks since the Games. We had a few days of recovery, because I did seventeen races in the Pacific Games, and then a week of hard training”.

There is a clear focus now for the Fijian, with her sights firmly set on the 2016 Olympics.

“From here it’s back home and training with my coach. We made a plan to do the best to qualify for Rio so we’re looking at the Oceania Championships”.

When reflecting on the week, Buadromo has relished every moment.

“This week... I really enjoy racing especially in big competitions like this. It’s really nice staying in the Athlete’s Village because we get to meet different athletes”.

This article was produced by Mike Marron of The Reporters' Academy, a media production company run by young people, tasked with the mission of telling the stories of Oceania's swimmers at the World Championships in Kazan. The Reporters' Academy is integrated into the world of media, education and employment, dedicated to changing the lives of young people across Oceania and the UK.