Roligat impressive in Australia

Sprinter Darrel Roligat is having a memorable year in athletics, with his most recent accomplishment achieved while attending a sprinters and hurdlers training workshop in Cairns, Australia last week.

According to coach Elias Rangamar, who accompanied Roligat to the workshop, the 16-year-old Marianas High School junior impressed athletes and coaches from around the region.

“He’s the youngest athlete, not to mention the smallest, but regardless, he held his ground in our time trials,” said Rangamar, citing that Roligat caught the eyes of the instructors with his form and technique. “[Compared to Roligat] some of the guys have been training at Olympic centers, but [instructors and coaches] were still impressed.”

Not only did he impress those in his surroundings, but Roligat also set a personal-best while breaking the CNMI Junior Record in the 100m dash, officially completing the sprint in 11.7 seconds. Unlike all races on island, the trials featured an electronic time system.

Rangamar said the result, however, might not be officially considered to be a new record because the trials was not a sanctioned event and was just part of the workshop.

Regardless, Rangamar said he and Roligat were happy about the result.

In his first heat of the trials, Roligat kept his focus and crossed the finish line in 11.85 seconds, placing fourth out of seven competitors while matching his personal best, which he set while competing in the Oceania 18-and-under Championships in Townsville, Australia.

In his final race—where he broke the record—Roligat finished fifth, but Rangamar said he was “neck and neck with other competitors.”

Rangamar said he and Roligat were involved in two training sessions per day.

“Darrel has been getting good feedback,” Rangamar said. “The instructors have really been impressed with Darrel’s progression as far as the technical and training aspects of his events.”

The workshop was held from May 23 to May 28. Rangamar and Roligat returned to Saipan Monday.

“I am happy with the experience,” Roligat said during an interview yesterday. “I am more confident now because I see that I can compete with them, so that’s more motivation for me to continue with my training and try to improve and be the best I can. The workshop was all about learning and I did learn a lot.”

The workshop was attended by other athletes and coaches from around the Pacific region, including Samoa, Kiribati, Tonga, Palau, Fiji, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, and Australia. Training focused on improving speed through the improvement of technical aspects. It consisted of various drills not only on the track and also in a pool.

“The same thing we do on the track, we do in the pool…its just with resistance and less stress on the joints,” Rangamar said.

Roligat also stressed that the knowledge he gained from the trip will be shared to other sprinters in hopes of improving the sport of athletics in the Commonwealth.

Northern Mariana Islands Track and Field Federation president Kurt Barnes earlier said the workshop would do NMI athletics well.

“[Athletics in the NMI] will improve tremendously because Eli will get more experience on how to train sprinters and hurdlers and the latest techniques on training sprinters,” he said. “Darrel will learn how world-class athletes are training in short sprints.”

Two months ago, the NMITFF that Roligat will represent the Commonwealth in the World Youth Championships and the World Championships, both headed by the IAAF.

The World Youth Championships will be held in Morocco from July 14 to July 17, featuring the elite youth athletes in the world going head to head for supremacy. In Morocco, Roligat will compete in both the 100m and 200m events.

This year’s World Championships will be held in Finland from Aug. 6 to Aug. 14 and will showcase the best in the sport from around the world. Roligat will see action in the 100m dash.