Too close to call in men’s sprints

The men’s 100m and 200m events of the 2008 Oceania Championships are both too close to call, according to the Oceania Athletics Association website.

With 32 entries in the 100m, the century dash is expected to be a highly competitive race.

However, Duane Daley of Australia (10.88) and Pacific Games silver medal winner Iowane Dovumatua of Fiji (10.84) are among the early favorites to top the event.

Aside from Daley and Dovumatua, the 100m will also see the return of Howard twins—John and Jack—of the Federated States of Micronesia, Jack Iroga and Francis Manioru of Solomon Islands, and Eroni Tuivanuavou of Fiji.

Tahiti’s Urarii Terootae could also pull off a surprise with a recent time of 11.00 to his name.

The 200m event, meanwhile, has 36 competitors, with three having seed times bellow 22.00 seconds—Aussies Joshua Ahwong (21.92) and Peter Tuccandidgee (21.61) and Fiji’s Setareki Tikosaya (21.89).

Seventeen-year-old Isoa Me of Fiji, for his part, has a time of 22.00 this year and is a young man on the way up.

Waname Egora of Papua New Guinea, Jay Stone of Australia, and Chris Walasi of Solomon Islands are also shoe-ins for the finals.

In the 400m, the runners to watch are Tuccandidgee, Mowen Boino of Papua New Guinea, and Joshua Ahwong of Australia.

Add to the list Vanuatu’s Arnold Sorina who has been doing well as of late based on his rapid improvement in the 800m during the year. Fiji’s Me and Aporosa Tabulawaki should also be well in the mix.

In the under-18 division, New Caledonia’s Christopher Igorra has a recent time of 11.10 in the 100m and are among the favorites in the 100m.

New Zealand’s Rory Hofmans and Austalia’s Daniel McLean should also contend with times of 11.24 and 11.35, respectively.

In the 200m, Australia’s Mason Holm is among the top bets with a time of 22.70, followed by Joel Armstrong of New Zealand, with a time of 23.24 and countrymen Rory Hofmans and Alex Jordan, both with seed times of 23.30.

The 400m, meanwhile, is expected to be dominated by Aussies and Kiwis as Armstrong and Dean Searles of Australia are the early favorites. Matthew Pangelinan of Guam, meanwhile, can snatch for himself a bronze with his seed time of 53.11.

The 2008 Oceania Championships is set here on Saipan from June 25 to 28 at the Oleai Track and Field.