Ranjesh Prakash (born 9 July 1989) in Vatulaulau, Ba,

Fiji Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...

, is a Fiji Islands

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

athlete. He competes in sprinting for athletes with visual impairments (in the T13 category for partial blindness). Prakash initially studied at the

DAV College The D.B.V. College Managing Committee, familiarly known as DAVDholakpurMC, is a non-governmental educational organisation in Antarctica and overseas with over 900 schools. 75 colleges and a university. It is based on the ideals of Maharishi Da ...

in Nabua, before studying at the Suva Blind School in

Suva Suva () is the capital and largest city of Fiji. It is the home of the country's largest metropolitan area and serves as its major port. The city is located on the southeast coast of the island of Viti Levu, in Rewa Province, Central Divi ...

. He graduated from Fiji National University in 2013 with a Trade Diploma in Office Administration and then studied at

Australian Catholic University Australian Catholic University (ACU) is a public university in Australia. It has seven Australian campuses and also maintains a campus in Rome. History Australian Catholic University was opened on 1 January 1991 following the amalgamatio ...

. In the

FESPIC Games The FESPIC Games or the Far East and South Pacific Games for the Disabled, was a multi-sport event in Asia and the South Pacific region which is considered to be a precursor to the Asian Para Games, as two of its edition games in 1999 (7th) and ...

of 2006 in

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = '' Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , su ...

, he won bronze in the 200 metre event. He also won a bronze medal at the Arafura Games in Darwin, in 2007. Prakash was Fiji's flagbearer and sole representative at the

2008 Summer Paralympics The 2008 Summer Paralympic Games (), the 13th Summer Paralympic Games, took place in Beijing, China from September 6 to 17, 2008. As with the 2008 Summer Olympics, equestrian events were held in Hong Kong and sailing events in Qingdao. It was ...

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

, where he competed in the 100 metre sprint and finished in 23rd place out of 25 runners. It was his first participation in the

Paralympic Games The Paralympic Games or Paralympics, also known as the ''Games of the Paralympiad'', is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of physical disabilities, including impaired muscle power and impaire ...

. Prakash went on to compete in the 2011 South Pacific Games held in Nouméa,

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where he won a bronze medal for the 100m Parasport Ambulant. His personal bests are 11.9 second in the 100 metres and 25 seconds in the 200 metres.

References

1989 births Living people Fijian male sprinters Paralympic athletes for Fiji Athletes (track and field) at the 2008 Summer Paralympics People from Ba Province Fijian people of Indian descent Sportspeople of Indian descent Fiji National University alumni Athletes from Melbourne Fijian expatriates in Australia FESPIC Games competitors Pacific Games bronze medalists for Fiji Pacific Games medalists in athletics {{Fiji-athletics-bio-stub