Akuila Cama 
Yeshnil Karan (middle) [Photo Credit: Athletics Fiji]
Former Fiji Finals champion and Fiji’s long-distance running sensation, Yeshnil Karan, has broken a 54-year-old national 10,000 meters record.
The Tavua man achieved the feat at the UniSport Australia Nationals Athletics Championships, at the Gold Coast Performance Centre on Tuesday.
Karan, who competed as a “guest” athlete, finished first at the prestigious Australian Inter-University Championships in a new time of 30 minutes 19.92 seconds.
His performance shattered the long-standing national record of 31 minutes, 32 seconds, set in 1971 by the legendary Usaia Sotutu in Provo, USA, improving the mark by a remarkable 72 seconds.
This was only Yeshnil’s second-ever track 10,000m race, and he bettered his personal best of 32 minutes 32.30 seconds set during his gold medal run at the 2023 Pacific Games in Honiaraby an extraordinary 2 minutes and 12 seconds.
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