Fourth for Tania, breaks NMI half-marathon record

HONIARA, Solomon Islands—NMI’s golden girl Tania Tan wrapped up the NMI’s showing in the 2023 Pacific Games with a fourth-place finish and shattered the NMI record in the half marathon event early Saturday morning.

Tan came in with a time of 1:29.22 in the 13.1-mile course that spanned St. Joseph’s School and ended at the Plaza of the National Sports Stadium, just a few minutes behind the bronze medalist, and updated the old NMI half-marathon standard of 1:40.47 set by Akiko Hagiwara in 2006.

The 22-year-old Tan is also the only woman to have won gold twice for the NMI in a Pacific Games ever.

Tahiti’s Sa Debarthez de Mamorie flew into gold with a time of 1:23.39. Silver and bronze were a neck-and-neck race between Solomon Islands’ Dianah Matekali (1:24.23) and Sharon Firisua (1:24.54).

There was a total of 14 runners in the women’s division and 15 in the men’s division.

Tan’s run mileage in the past week totaled 22.4 miles overall—5,000m in which she got her first gold and broke three records; the 10,000m in which she got her second gold medal, and the half marathon event.

She ran all her events with less than a couple days of rest in between topped with less-than-desirable conditions in the athletes’ village plus the ravages of the hot and humid South Pacific weather.

The two-time Pacific Games gold medalist was also chosen as the team’s closing ceremony flagbearer last night. She said it was an honor to have been the flagbearer. Tan was also sort of a celebrity after her two-time gold medal finish as she would constantly be asked to take photos with her.

Tan said of her half marathon race, “I just wanted to have fun out there because I never run the half marathon so I’m unfamiliar with the distance and how to race it. So, I’m surprised with coming in fourth and setting a new NMI record.” She added that her new time is her new PB by 21 minutes and 26 seconds.

As for the experience of the Games overall, she said, “These games will definitely be memorable, and I will forever cherish all these memories made here in Honiara.” Her favorite part of the experience, she said, is the “kindness of the people here in the Solomon Islands. Everyone here has been super friendly, accommodating, and kind.”

Now, she said, she has to go back to school and finish her finals of her master’s degree program at the University of Hawaii.

She then said, “Thank you to everyone back home in the CNMI!”.

In other athletics results last Friday and Thursday, Maria Igitol threw a distance of 29.07m in the javelin throw; Pony Tang clocked in at 4:53.79 in the men’s 1,500m race; Lyle Andrew had a 9.76m shot put throw; and Theodore Rodgers clocked in at 24.15 in the 200m semis.