18 Jun 2014

Sport: Fiji athlete killed in US remembered at Oceania Champs

11:38 am on 18 June 2014

Fijian athlete Roy Ravana Junior will be firmly in the thoughts of his peers at next week's Oceania Area Athletics Championships in Rarotonga.

The 20 year-old was killed in a shooting incident in the United States last week.

His funeral will be held in Fiji this Saturday.

The Executive Director of the Oceania Athletics Association, Yvonne Mullins, says Ravana Junior, was a fine young man and a fine athlete.

"For many of us we travelled in teams with Roy. We went to Wallis and Futuna with him last year. Previous to that we had been off to World Indoor Championships and World Junior Championships with Roy Ravana Junior so [he was] somebody who was part of a very strong Oceania family and we were very very sad to hear of his passing and of course, as I say, we will be certainly remembering [him] at the championships here this year."

Yvonne Mullins says they will also be honouring New Zealand racewalker Lesley Cantwell, who collapsed after winning the gold medal in the 5000 metres event at last year's Championships in Tahiti.

She died in hospital a few days later and Mullins says the Lesley Cantwell Memorial Trophy will be presented this year for all of the racewalks, in her memory.