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Sapong off to World Youth Championships
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Posted on Jun 10 2011
CNMI runner Reylynn Sapong will leave Saipan for France next month to compete in the 2011 IAAF World Youth Championships in Athletics.
The Marianas High School student is entered in the 100m run event of the youth competition that will run from July 6 to 10 in Lille in the northern side of France. The five-day tournament will take place at the 18,500-seater Stadium Lille Metropole-Villeneuve d’Ascq.
“I will most likely be leaving on July. Unfortunately, I’ll be traveling alone, but will meet other Oceania athletes either in Guam or Paris. I specialize in middle distance events, but will be competing in the 100m dash,” Sapong said.
The 17-year-old-old runner’s best time in the 100m run is 13.53 seconds, which she recorded during the 2011 McDonald’s-PSS All Schools Athletics Championship at the Oleai Sports Complex last month.
Her favorite event is the 400m run where her personal best time stands at 67 seconds made during the 2010 Micronesian Games in Palau.
“As of now, I am focusing in the 100m run and I hope to improve my personal best time. I’ve been working with my coaches these past few months to improve my sprinting techniques. I would like to thank my coaches and the NMA board members for giving me the opportunity to take part in this prestigious event,” Sapong said.
Besides the 100m run, the world championship event will feature the girls’ 200m, 400m, 800m, 1,500m, and 3,000m races, 100m and 400m hurdles, 2,000m steeplechase, 5,000m walk, jump, pole vault, long, high, and triple jumps, shotput, hammer, and javelin throws, heptathlon, and medley relay. The boys division will also have 20 events.
The IAAF World Youth Championships is a biannual competition under the International Association of Athletics Federations calendar. In 2009, the event was held in Sudtirol, Italy with D.J. Ngirchongor representing the CNMI in the tournament.
