Fijian Sprinter Heleina Young Focuses on Personal Bests for Commonwealth Games Debut

Fiji Athletics sprinter Heleina Young is gearing up for her debut at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, an experience she has been working towards for years. While the roar of a large crowd is a rarity at domestic competitions, Young and her fellow national athletes have learned to cultivate their own motivation and camaraderie during demanding training sessions.

"Normally, when it’s a national meet, that’s the time when the stadium is empty," Young explained. "We don’t get many people supporting and cheering us on, but we’ve gotten used to it and learned to lean on each other. We have a good group of athletes here, so we make the atmosphere fun for ourselves and enjoy the tough training that we have day in and day out."

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Normally, when it’s a national meet, that’s the time when the stadium is empty. We don’t get many people supporting and cheering us on, but we’ve gotten used to it and learned to lean on each other. We have a good group of athletes here, so we make the atmosphere fun for ourselves and enjoy the tough training that we have day in and day out.

Young, who previously represented Fiji at the 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games in the Bahamas, will compete in both the 100m and 200m events in Glasgow. Despite the challenge of facing some of the Commonwealth's fastest athletes, she remains focused on her preparation and personal performance.

"The pressure is just like any other competition because our expectation is to go out there and give our best," Young stated. "We trust the preparation we’ve put in, we’ve worked hard for this, and we’re hoping to come away with some personal bests." For Young, this opportunity represents the culmination of years of dedication, aiming to reward the hard work invested long before the starting gun fires.

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The pressure is just like any other competition because our expectation is to go out there and give our best. We trust the preparation we’ve put in, we’ve worked hard for this, and we’re hoping to come away with some personal bests.