Fiji Olympian puts her hand up for the next generation of Pasifika

For years, Cheyenne Rova’s place in Pacific sports was in the pool.

Now the Fijian Olympian is putting her hand up for leadership and says the confidence to take on bigger roles came from learning alongside other Pacific women.

Rova, who represented Fiji at the Olympics and on the international swimming stage, was nominated as chair of the Athletes Commission for Oceania Aquatics.

She says her experience in the Wahine Toa Oceania leadership programme played a big part in giving her the confidence to step forward.

“I guess one of the biggest things that I've taken from the programme that's helped me in these different roles now is just having the confidence to actually put my hand up for opportunities like that,” she told Cedric Tausinga on Pacific Huddle.

“I would say if I hadn't gone through the Wāhine Toa Oceania programme, I wouldn't have that confidence to be able to put my hand up and be confident in being able to take on such a big role as that.”

Cheyenne Rova represented Fiji at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, continuing a career that has taken her to the Pacific Games, Commonwealth Games and world championships. Photo/PacificAus Sports

That confidence was also reflected across the first Wāhine Toa Oceania cohort, according to Cook Islands multi-sport athlete Julieanne Westrupp, who spoke on behalf of the participants at their graduation in Fiji in 2025.

“We all agree we have gained increased confidence and competence in leadership behaviours as well as an enhanced self-awareness. We have been blessed and privileged to have had this opportunity," she said at the programme graduation.

The 2025 cohort brought together 11 female athletes from six Pacific countries, including Rova and Westrupp, along with Matie Stanley of Tuvalu.

Participants in the inaugural Wāhine Toa Oceania programme during their leadership training in Fiji in 2025. The programme brought together female athletes from six Pacific countries. Photo/Oceania National Olympic Committee

Rova said she applied after seeing the programme advertised and said she was looking for a chance to meet other Pacific women and learn from their experiences.

“I’m always looking for opportunities to be able to network, to be able to just improve and gain new skills,” she told Tausinga.

“And so when I saw that, I'm like, this is a great opportunity for me to meet other wāhine in our Oceania region and learn different skills and just grow and develop.”

Rova says the value of the programme goes beyond the roles she has taken on since completing it.

She says it changed how she approached the different spaces she was already part of and gave her a chance to help others coming through.

“Learning from that experience, I would want to use that as an opportunity to create opportunities for other people that, you know, come [after] me or share the same spaces with me.”

Cook Islands multi-sport athlete Julieanne Westrupp was part of the inaugural Wāhine Toa Oceania cohort and spoke on behalf of participants at their 2025 graduation. Photo/Facebook/Cook Islands Sports

That focus is also shaping what success means to her.

Looking 10 years ahead, Rova says she does not measure success by titles or achievements alone.

“If I could motivate at least one other person or inspire one other, you know, that would be success for me.”

She is also keen to keep learning from women across Oceania, saying their different stories and experiences can shape how they lead.

“I would say networking and just being able to hear other people's stories and other people's challenges and little successes that make them who they are and contribute to the way that they lead and the way that they do things.”

Rova’s own sporting journey began at school where swimming was part of the curriculum.

Female athletes from across the Pacific took part in the inaugural Wāhine Toa Oceania programme, designed to help transfer skills from high-level sport into leadership and governance. Photo/olympic.org.nz

Neither of her parents swam. One played field hockey and the other competed in athletics while an older cousin represented Fiji in regional swimming competitions.

But it was her love of the water that kept her going.

“I hate running. I've always hated running ever since I was a little kid. So I think having this as an option is, I guess, what made me stay.”

Away from elite competition, Rova has also spent the past seven years teaching at the International School Nadi where she is physical and health education subject lead and oversees the swimming programme.

Her message to young Pacific women looking to follow a similar path is simple: stay open to learning and build strong relationships with other women.

“Just being open, having a teachable spirit is really, really important.”

Listen to Cheyenne Rova's full interview below.

She says a strong network matters not only for careers but for the support women can give each other.

“Having a strong network of women around you is incredibly valuable.”

For Rova, leadership is now about more than the opportunities she puts her hand up for.

She says it is about using those opportunities to help create space for the women coming behind her.

Cedric Tausinga is a journalism student at the Auckland University of Technology. He recently completed a two-week internship at PMN News.