Casey Cruz wraps up 1st int’l competition

The NMI’s up-and-coming sprinter Casey Cruz wrapped up her first international competition last Tuesday in Lima, Peru.

She competed in the 100m sprints of the World Athletics U20 Championships 2024 against other young and up-and-coming sprinters from all over the world including the U.S.A., Jamaica, Germany, Poland, Canada, Spain, Bahamas, Monaco, and more.

The 18-year-old finished eighth out of nine in Heat 3, with a time of 13.59 seconds. She was close to a minute shy of her personal best time of 12.63 seconds that she set in the 10th Micronesian Games in Majuro, Marshall Islands last June.

Even with that, she said, “this is my first international competition on the world stage and I think I did good. [It’s] not the results I wanted, but it’s only up from here,” said the Saipan Southern High School class of 2024 graduate.

She added, “I am just so grateful and bless[ed] that I got to represent the NMI in the World Athletics U20 Championships in Lima, Peru.”

When asked what the difference was in competing in Peru from the Pacific Games and the Micronesian Games, she said it was the weather.

“The main difference between competing here in Lima and at the Pacific/Micro Games is the climate. In the Solomon Islands and Marshall Islands, the warm weather allowed my body to stay comfortably warm before my race. However, here in Lima, the cooler temperatures make it quite challenging for me to maintain that warmth prior to competing,” she said.

What’s next? She said she’s looking forward to the 2025 Pacific Mini Games in Koror, Palau. “Definitely gonna train harder for that!” said Cruz.

Coach Elias Rangamar added that they traveled more than 30 hours to get to Peru, then Cruz competed the very next day. “She mentioned that it was hard to stay warm. Peru is pretty cold this time of the year. At this point of her career, she just needs to learn how to manage training, school, and her lifestyle. She still wants to pursue an athletics career at some college in the U.S.,” said Rangamar on Cruz.

“This event has the best youth talents around the world. Unfortunately, there were only two representatives from the Pacific Islands other than Australia and New Zealand,” he said. After the competition, Rangamar said they slept all day and night. “I think the jet lag and excitement finally caught up with us.”

Cruz is returning home with Rangamar on Sep. 1, which allows them ample time to do some sightseeing before then.