9 athletes off to Oceania tourney

Chloe Salvosa lands on the sand during the long jump event in last year’s Micronesian Athletics Championships in Pohnpei. Salvosa and eight other CNMI athletes are heading to Fiji this summer for the 2017 Oceania Area Championships. (Kaselehlie Press Photo)

Northern Marianas Athletics will be sending nine athletes and two officials to Fiji this summer to participate in the 2017 Oceania Area Championship.

Micronesian Athletics Championship (2016) Outstanding Female Athlete Zarinae Sapong leads Team CNMI and will be joined by Beo Ngirngochor, Traven Quitugua, Jerald Castillo, Daniel Calvo III, Riella Ann Billy Ichiou, Chloe Salvosa, Annalei Santos, and Jamie Pangelinan.

Sapong won two gold medals, one silver, and two bronzes in the MAC held in Pohnpei last year, getting her two golds in the 100m and 200m sprints. In Fiji, which will hold the Oceania Area Championship in Suva from June 29 to July 1, Sapong will also compete in the women’s open division’s 100m and 200m runs. Her best times in the two sprints are 13.35 seconds (100m) and 27.87 seconds (200m).

Ngirchongor and Ichiuo are also entered in the open field with the former participating in three events—200m (23.58 seconds), 400m (52.74 seconds), and 400m hurdles (1:00.89). Ichiuo, who will be representing the Commonwealth for the first time, will race in the 100m (13.89 seconds) and 200m (25.77) and will also compete in the javelin throw.

In the U20 division, the CNMI has three entries in Castillo, Calvo, and Salvosa. Salvosa, who won two gold medals (javelin throw and long jump) for the Commonwealth in last year’s MAC, this time will only do the long jump (4.16m) for the field events, but has two runs to her schedule as she will join the 100m (13.72 seconds) and 200m (28.21 seconds) races in Fiji.

Castillo, who topped the 100m in last year’s MAC, will also participate in the two sprints where his best times are 11.37 seconds (100m) and 23.93 seconds (200m), while Calvo is entered in the 100m run (11.78 seconds) and long jump (5.44m).

For the U18 contest, Quitugua and Pangelinan will both race in the 100m and 200m, while Santos has two throwing events—shot put (9.63m) and discus (29.37m). Pangelinan’s best time in the 100m and 200m are 14.82 seconds and 33.03, while Quitugua has faster records with her 11.72 seconds and 24.44 seconds.

The nine CNMI athletes will be joined in Fiji by Rangamar and NMA general secretary Robin Sapong. The Commonwealth bets will be up against the representatives of the host country, American Samoa, Cook Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Guam, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Norfolk Islands, Palau, Tahiti, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, and powerhouse New Zealand and Australia.