V6 women reach semis; Leo completes solo task

HONIARA, Solomon Islands—The va’a team is always up bright and early for practices and competition, but their 1,500m events were delayed for two hours as they aligned the course buoys properly at DC Park yesterday morning.

Even with the long waiting time, battling fatigue, and pushing through sickness, the NMI National Va’a Team persevered and the women’s V6 1,500m team reached the semis.

They finished third with a time of 13:47.42 behind finalists Tahiti (10:24.18) and Fiji (10:41.43).

Steerer Momoko Halstead said of their race, “Racing against and alongside the best in va’a is an honor. Conditions were challenging, but we persevered through the rough waters with astounding teamwork and resilience. We stayed in our lanes, didn’t huli (flip), didn’t get any disqualifications, and came back to shore safely.”

She added, “I’m proud of our NMI va’a team. We are all better with the experience we have gained here [in the] Solomon Islands.”

The women’s V6 team also includes Gracie Mendiola, Jenisha Dubrall, Vinalynn Oronigo, Dayna Macaranas, and Sakura Halstead.

The men’s team on the other hand, was DQ’d as they missed the exit buoys and finished at 9:17.49 in their heat.

For Leo Wania, the lone representative for triathlon, he also pushed through sickness and took on a big challenge of his own—swimming 400m, biking 10K, and running 2.5K alone through the heat and humidity of the Solomon Islands.

Although he finished last in his heat with a time of 49:49, he said, “When opportunity is knocking on your door, you really have to think about all the possibilities, and no matter what the outcome is, you did your best to represent NMI.”

On what was going on in his mind throughout his competition, he said, “Just do my very best, never give up—it’s not how fast you get there but the journey and to complete my race despite not feeling well and the heat. I did it. I held on to what I believed in my mind—God is watching.”

He said, “In the beginning It was challenging as a solo triathlete, but I had some ideas on what to do as a solo athlete and some good advice from my friends and coaches.”

For his training on Honiara, Wania said he trained with the NMI swim team at the pool, then on the second week, he ran, went to the gym, and biked.

He said, “Competing in the Solomons was a great experience and I got to see how the organization run the venues.”

He then thanked his family, his coaches, and the Northern Marianas Sports Association “for this opportunity to represent NMI. Thank you so much.”

Wania is competing in the B finals today at 7:30am.