Iliesa Delana

Delana was born in Naisausau, Namara, Tailevu, Fiji. He lost his left leg in a bus accident at age three. He debuted at the FESPIC Games in 2006,{{Cite web |url=http://ipc.infostradasports.com/asp/lib/TheASP.asp?pageid=8937&sportid=513&personid=903978 |title=IPC bio |access-date=2012-08-12 |archive-date=2014-01-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140106212456/http://ipc.infostradasports.com/asp/lib/TheASP.asp?pageid=8937&sportid=513&personid=903978 |url-status=dead }} and has since won silver medal at the 2011 IPC Athletics World Championships, held in New Zealand, and then a gold medal at the 2012 Summer Paralympics.

Delana competed in the F42 category (for single leg amputees without prosthesis) at the 2012 Summer Paralympics. Going into the games, Delana was ranked number 2 in the world,[http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=192217 "Athlete profiles"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714141751/http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=192217# |date=2014-07-14 }}, Fiji Times, 31 January 2012[http://www.fijilive.com/sports/news/2012/01/30/25546.Fijilive "Five confirmed for 2012 London Olympics"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150610220217/http://fijilive.com/sports/news/2012/01/30/25546.Fijilive |date=2015-06-10 }}, Fijilive, 30 January 2012 but jumped 1.74m to win the gold on count back, after clearing all heights up to and including 1.74m on his first attempts. His jump of 1.74m broke the Oceanic record for the event.[http://www.london2012.com/paralympics/athletics/event/men-high-jump-f42/phase=atm014100/index.html Men's High Jump - F42] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120904014501/http://www.london2012.com/paralympics/athletics/event/men-high-jump-f42/phase=atm014100/index.html |date=2012-09-04 }}, London 2012 official website, 3 September 2012

In doing this, Delana became the first Fijian to win any medal at the Paralympics (or Olympics), and the first athlete from the South Pacific Islands to win gold (following Francis Kompaon's silver medal for Papua New Guinea in sprinting in 2008).[http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=210968 "Delana jumps into history"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120907155416/http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=210968# |date=2012-09-07 }}, Fiji Times, 4 September 2012[http://www.rnzi.com/pages/news.php?op=read&id=70684 "Sport: Fiji’s Iliesa Delana wins Pacific’s first ever Paralympic gold medal"], Radio New Zealand International, 3 September 2012

Delana was congratulated by President Ratu Epeli Nailatikau, and by Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama who called upon all Fijians to celebrate his victory.[http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=210972 "Enormous victory"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120907155426/http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=210972 |date=2012-09-07 }}, Fiji Times, 5 September 2012 Upon his return to Fiji, Delana was welcomed by thousands of people (in the rain) for national celebrations which included a procession through the main street of Suva and "military and traditional ceremonies of welcome, [normally] only accorded to Heads of States". Delana was invited to inspect a fifty-strong honour guard. President Nailatikau delivered a speech describing Delana as a national "icon", adding that he had brought to the country a "sense of unity and pride [...] greatly needed at this point in time and in pursuit towards democratic governance", in the context of constitutional change following the 2006 military coup and plans for the restoration of democracy in 2014.[https://archive.today/20130126184444/http://www.islandsbusiness.com/news/index_dynamic/containerNameToReplace=MiddleMiddle/focusModuleID=130/focusContentID=29886/tableName=mediaRelease/overideSkinName=newsArticle-full.tpl "Fiji salutes Golden hero, Iliesa Delana"], PacNews, 13 September 2012 The government announced that it would be building him a new house, to be completed before Christmas, as a gift and "token of appreciation from the Fijian Government and from all Fijians".[https://archive.today/20121211134433/http://www.fiji.gov.fj/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6813:government-provides-free-home-for-delana&catid=67:fiji-header-stories "Government provides free home for Delena"], Fiji government website, 13 September 2012 He was presented with a new home by Prime Minister Bainimarama in January 2013, as "a token of appreciation to convey Fiji's profound gratitude for the great honour [Delana had] bestowed upon the country".[https://archive.today/20130216013632/http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=224002 "Fiji gives golden boy a new home"], Fiji Times, 31 January 2013

He is depicted on the obverse of the Fijian 2013 circulating commemorative 50 Cents coin.

Delana stood in the 2014 general elections for the FijiFirst party, and was elected to Parliament with 906 votes.{{cite web |url=http://www.electionsfiji.gov.fj/2014-election-results/ |title=2014 Election Results |publisher=Fiji Elections Office |access-date=2014-09-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140921200245/http://www.electionsfiji.gov.fj/2014-election-results/ |archive-date=2014-09-21 |url-status=dead }} He was subsequently appointed to cabinet as Assistant Minister for Youth and Sports.{{cite web |url=http://www.fbc.com.fj/fiji/23196/20-member-cabinet-announced |title=20-member Cabinet announced |publisher=FBC |date=2014-09-24 |access-date=2014-09-24 |archive-date=2019-04-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190406191248/http://www.fbc.com.fj/fiji/23196/20-member-cabinet-announced |url-status=dead }}

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Category:Paralympic athletes for Fiji

Category:Paralympic gold medalists for Fiji

Category:1984 births

Category:Living people

Category:Medalists at the 2012 Summer Paralympics

Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2012 Summer Paralympics

Category:I-Taukei Fijian members of the Parliament of Fiji

Category:FijiFirst politicians

Category:Government ministers of Fiji

Category:I-Taukei Fijian people

Category:Politicians from Tailevu Province

Category:Paralympic medalists in athletics (track and field)

Category:FESPIC Games competitors

Category:Fijian high jumpers