Fiji sprinter Banuve Tabakaucoro made a tough and courageous decision to pull out of the Rio Olympics, according the country's Chef de Mission Cathy Wong.
The 23 year old has been plagued by injury in recent months and did not run a successful qualifying time for Rio.
The Pacific Games 100m and 200m champion won gold in both events at the Melanesian Athletics Championships in Suva last weekend.
He set a new Fiji national record of 10.20 seconds in the 100m final but failed to meet the Olympic qualifying time of 10.16 seconds.
He clocked 21.12 seconds in the 200m final, 0.38 seconds shy of the qualifying time for Rio.
Fiji sprint king Banuve Tabakaucoro sets the pace at the 2016 Melanesian Championships. Photo: Oceania Athletics Association
Tabakaucoro was offered a universality place in Brazil but opted to turn down the chance to represent his country because he did not qualify on merit.
Cathy Wong says has made a difficult decision and they respect that.
"Banuve has gone through a bad injury spate and his mission and his goal in life was to qualify on merit for the Olympic Games and failing that he felt that if he didn't qualify on merit he did not feel that he was right and ready to go to the Olympics this time. Yes we are disappointed but we respect and we honour the decision that he has made," she said.
"It is very tough and a very courageous decision for someone to make and he had his lines, he had his vision, he had his work cut out for him and he chose to do that and (it was) a very very courageous decision for someone like Banuve to make."
Last weekend the man dubbed the fastest in the Pacific clocked 21.12 seconds at the 2016 Melanesian Athletics Champs in Suva this afternoon while the qualifying time for the Olympics is 20.50 seconds.
Fiji is sending a record 53 athletes to next month's Rio Games.
Fiji sprint king Banuve Tabakaucoro. Photo: Oceania Athletics Association