Taina Basiyalo 
Former Fiji Finals senior boys’ high jump gold medalist, Kaiava Francis, was laid to rest today.
His funeral service took place at the Suva Grammar School hall, attended by family, friends, schoolmates, and alumni.
Francis was a well-known figure in the athletics community, excelling in various sports from a young age.
He won a gold medal in high jump at the Chow Games, played volleyball for the USP Volleyball team and netball for the CBM Netball team.
He also claimed gold in the senior boys’ high jump at the Fiji Finals and famously broke a 37-year-old record in the intermediate division.
The 22-year-old also represented Fiji at the Oceania Handball Championships in New Caledonia, as well as in athletics at the Mini South Pacific Games.
He had earned an athletics scholarship at Neosho College in Kansas, USA, where he tragically passed away earlier this month due to drowning.
Kaiava Francis was laid to rest at the Old Suva Cemetery in Nine Miles.
