The Athletics Vanuatu National Championship is once again serving as the country’s main pathway to identify top athletes for future international competitions.

Held over the Easter holiday period, the championship brought together students from schools across Efate, along with athletes from Sanma and Tafea, for a week of intense track and field events.

The competition featured Under-8, Under-12, Under-15 and Under-16 finals on Good Friday, while the Under-20 and Open categories took place on Easter Monday.

Athletes competed in a range of track and field disciplines as selectors looked for the best talent to represent Vanuatu.

Competition Manager and former athlete Jansen Molisingi said the national championship is both a federation requirement and a key scouting platform.

“The purpose of the championship is that Athletics Vanuatu must always run one national championship as a requirement under the international federation. At the same time, we use it to identify athletes for the Oceania Athletics Championship in Australia and to scout talent for future events,” he said.

One of the standout young athletes from Epi island was Jimmy Jenika from Ulei Junior Secondary School, who claimed gold medals in both the 400m and 200m races.

Jimmy said the result came through discipline and regular school training.

“This is not my first time racing. I competed last year too, and I train every morning at school. That is why I won my races, and I want to thank God because without Him I would not have been able to win,” he said.

The competition remained tough from the opening day to the final medal ceremonies on Friday and Monday, with students showing resilience and determination throughout the week.

A teacher who travelled with rural students said the championship gave young athletes a valuable opportunity to test themselves at a higher standard.

“We are very happy they took part in a competition like this. In the rural areas we only have small competitions, but here they can test the real track and field standards. It builds their confidence and shows they have real potential if we continue to support them,” the teacher said.

The championship now gives the top performers a real opportunity to earn selection into Team Vanuatu for upcoming regional championships.