NMI runners, paddlers compete today

It is time for the NMI’s entries in athletics, va’a, and bodybuilding to see action in the 2023 Pacific Games as competitions resume today in Honiara, the Solomon Islands.

The va’a races at the DC Park will have its heat and repechage in the men’s and women’s V-1 500m event, starting at 8:50am (7:50am Saipan time), while final races are scheduled beginning at 11:30am (10:30am). The NMI paddlers will debut in the 2023 Pacific Games after spending more than a week in Honiara training and familiarizing themselves with the water conditions at the DC Park. The men’s and women’s V-12 500m preliminaries and repechage will also hit the waters of DC Park this morning with the finals slated for after lunch hour.

The NMI National Va’a Team is made up of Tyler Pedro Andrew, Yu Ling Chai, Mitchelle Kukkun, Gracie Mendiola, Eva Nicole Weaver, Terry Ruben, VInalynn Oronigo, Jenisha Dubrall, Willie Cabrera, Dayne Lou Macaranas, and Momoko and Sakurako Halstead, Oliver Igisaiar, and Ashley Pangelinan. Athletes/coaches Jason Tarkong and Richard Sikkel and team managers Joseph Weaver and Justin Andrew complete the squad.

In athletics, Maria Quitugua and Casey Cruz race in the 100m run preliminary heats today at 3:30pm (2:30pm Saipan time). More than 30 runners from 20 countries are entered in the sprints. In the men’s 100m prelims, Alexander Camacho and Theodore Rodgers are the NMI’s entries for the 4:00pm race.

Tania Tan, who arrived on Honiara last Saturday with beach volleyball players Logan Mister and Andrew Johnson, will also have her first race today—the 5,000m run at 6:25pm (5:25pm Saipan time). Pony Tang and Lyle Pedro Andrew are the other NMI athletes competing in the track and field events with the former entered in the 1,500m and 3,000m scheduled later this week and the latter participating in the discus and hammer throws.

In bodybuilding, Davy Laxa and Christian Tudela will have their respective events this morning at 9:30am at the Maranatha Hall. Laxa is going up against Papua New Guinea’s Iso Finch and Solomon Islands’ Tome Kelesi in the male under 65-kg category. Tudela is entered in the model physique under 165cm and will be facing Solomons’ Corina Dettki, Yu Chen Guo, and Mary Ellen Teasanau, American Samoa’s Filomenaleonisa Iakopo, and Tahiti’s Liliane Tearo-Graffe.

Mister and Johnson, who are part of the last batch of NMI athletes that arrived in Honiara along with Tan, will hit the beach court in Honiara tomorrow, Nov.28, for the pool play matches .Mister and Johnson won the silver medal in the 2022 Northern Marianas Pacific Mini Games and will be among the contenders in the 2023 Pacific Games. They will play Palau on Tuesday and then duel Tonga and Vanuatu on Wednesday.

Triathlete Leo Wania will be the last athlete to have his debut in the 2023 Pacific Games, as his race will take place this Thursday. Wania is entered in the Super Sprints category and will be battling triathletes from Solomons, PNG, Samoa, Tahiti, New Caledonia, Guam, and Fiji.

Swimmers finish strong

NMI swimmers capped the pool competitions last Friday with a bronze medal swim in the 4x100m medley relay.

Juhn Tenorio, Kouki Watanabe, Isaiah Aleksenko, and Kean Pajarillaga clocked in at 3:59.97 to join New Caledonia (3:50.80) and Tahiti (3:58.10) at the podium.

NMI swimmers finished the competition with one gold and three silver medals to their credits. They also recorded several PBs and majority of the team members reached the finals of their respective events.

In golf, Zhi Min Jin finished in the Top 10 out of the more than 30 competitors with her four-round total of 313 (ninth best). In the men’s field, Franco Santos was the best finisher for the NMI with his 312 (tied for No. 15 spot). Joseph Sasamoto scored 323, Ben Jones Jr. had 328, and Joe Camacho recorded 334. In the men’s team event, the NMI finished eighth overall.

In weightlifting, Joey Colisao finished fifth in clean & jerk and total and fourth in snatch in the men’s 109kg+ class.

In soccer, the NMI spoiled Tahiti’s semis bid after conceding only five goals in their game last Saturday. Tahiti was pressed to win by more than 10 goals in their match over NMI, after Fiji defeated the latter, 10-0. Fiji and Tahiti engaged in a scoreless draw in an earlier game and the former ended up getting the semis berth with its higher goal difference against the latter.

With the NMI Men’s National Team done with the pool play, it will now play American Samoa today at 10am for the consolation matches.

Meanwhile, as Week 1 competitions in the 2023 Pacific Games wrapped up last Saturday, New Caledonia kept its strong hold to the to spot in the medal standings with its 54-37-34 gold-silver-bronze tally. Team Marianas finished Week 1 with eight medals—2 golds, 1 silver, and 5 bronzes.

Team Marianas’ participation in this year’s Pacific Games is supported by the Joeten Daidai Foundation, Triple J, Crowne Plaza Resort, IT&E, IP&E, Tan Siu Lin Foundation, Mobil, Tan Holdings, and McDonald’s of Guam & Saipan. (PR)