Fiji’s prime minister wound back the clock on Wednesday by winning a bronze medal at an international athletics championship, aged 75.

Sitiveni Rabuka, who competed for Fiji at both rugby and athletics in his youth, finished on the podium for his age category in the shot put at the Oceania championships held in Suva.

World leaders taking part in sports events is nothing new, but it is rare for one to walk away with a medal from an international competition.

Rabuka earned his bronze with a throw of 7.09 metres to finish behind two Australian rivals in the 75-79 category for the Oceania region.

“Even at 75, I hope to inspire the younger generation to develop a habit of keeping fit and staying healthy,” he posted on his Facebook page.

“It was indeed a morale booster for me,” Rabuka added, alongside a picture of him holding the medal.

The septuagenarian had previously missed another medal on Monday, by finishing fourth for his age in the discus.

It’s 50 years since the politician represented Fiji in the hammer throw, shot put, discus and decathlon at the 1974 Commonwealth Games in Christchurch.

He also scrummed down as a prop forward for the national rugby team.

A coup-maker turned politician, Rabuka is an ex-soldier who returned to the premiership in 2022 after a 23-year hiatus.

The former lieutenant colonel led two coups in 1987, earning the nickname “Rambo” by seizing power after troops took over parliament on his signal.

He retired from the military to enter politics, taking his no-nonsense style of command from the parade ground to parliament.

He was elected prime minister in 1992 and held power until he was defeated at the 1999 polls.

Rabuka returned to office as head of the coalition government following elections in December 2022.

Mauricio Pochettino said Chelsea had shown a “big improvement” during his single season as manager in his first public comments since his Stamford Bridge exit.

The Argentine left the club by mutual consent last month despite a strong end to a turbulent season in which they spent much of the campaign languishing in mid-table in the Premier League.

The Blues won their final five games to finish sixth and earn a place in the Uefa Conference League, also reaching the final of the League Cup and the semifinals of the FA Cup.

On Monday, Chelsea appointed Leicester boss Enzo Maresca as Pochettino’s successor on a five-year deal.

Addressing the club’s ownership and supporters via social media, Pochettino, 52, he said he had worked hard to “give you a Chelsea you can be proud of”.

The former Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain boss said the team had progressed after finishing a lowly 12th in the Premier League in the 2022/23 season.

“I am so pleased with the level the team reached and the way the players and staff have all worked so hard to increase their standards, they deserve great credit and I hope you felt that too in how they performed on the pitch,” Pochettino said in an Instagram post on Tuesday.

“We know there have been ups and downs but we always believed in this team and that we would arrive at a consistent level.

“I believe the experiences of this season and big improvement we saw, I hope will only make the players stronger for the future. It has been a pleasure to work with them all and we appreciate the strong bonds we created in this last year together.”

Pochettino said he would return to Stamford Bridge on Sunday for the annual Soccer Aid celebrity charity match to raise funds for UNICEF, where he will manage a World XI against an England team.

Inter Milan’s sporting CEO Giuseppe Marotta will take over as the Serie A champions’ new president on Tuesday after being put forward by the Italian club’s new US owners Oaktree.

Marotta, considered the architect of Inter’s recent return to football’s top table, will replace outgoing president Steven Zhang following a shareholders’ meeting in Milan later Tuesday, in which a new board will also be appointed.

Oaktree took control of Inter last month, days after the club were officially crowned kings of Italy for a 20th time, when previous owners Suning failed to repay a three-year loan which matured at 395 million euros ($428 million).

“I would like to thank Oaktree for the trust they have shown in giving me this opportunity to work alongside them and the Board,” said Marotta in a statement.

“This appointment is an acknowledgement of the fantastic work of the many people who have run the Club over the last three years.”

Marotta joined Inter in 2018 as head of football operations under Suning and Zhang.

Since then, Inter have won two Serie A titles, two Italian Cups, three Italian Super Cups and reached the final of both the Champions League and Europa League.

The 67-year-old was previously CEO at Juventus for a trophy-laden eight years.