Two weeks of sports spectacular

The past couple of weeks was an exiting one for island sports because Saipan hosted not one but two regional sports competitions—the 2008 Grand Prix and Oceania Championships and the 2008 Asia-Pacific Regional Little League Tournament.

Team Philippines dominated the six-day “Road to the World Series” by winning the Junior and Senior division Thursday.

The Philippines Junior All-Stars were the first to book a ticket to Taylor, Michigan, when they rallied from a two-run deficit late in the game by scoring three runs in the sixth to beat the CNMI, 7-6.

In the second game of the championship tripleheader, the Philippines Seniors All-Stars made it 2-for-2 in the championships for the International Little League Association of Manila when they essentially used a six-run fourth inning to beat the CNMI, 7-6.

The CNMI Big League All-Stars, meanwhile, won one for the home crowd when they held back a gallant comeback by the Philippines and won, 8-7.

New Zealand’s under-18 team, meanwhile, topped the medal standings of the 2008 Oceania Championships, which ended last June 28 at the Oleai Track and Field.

The Kiwis wound up with 19 gold, 11 silver, and six bronze medals, followed by Fiji (11-8-3), Samoa (10-3-1), Australia (9-11-5) and Papua New Guinea (9-6-5) in the Top 5.

Before departing the CNMI for her native Australia, Oceania Athletics Association executive director Yvonne Mullins also called the 2008 Oceania Championships the “best ever” area championships.

Aside from the two premier events, local sports organizations also hosted a slew of competitions the past two weeks.

Trench Warz VIII-Kontra was held at the Trench Tech Gym last June 21 and saw Slade “The Rage” Adelbai win his semi main event bout against Neil “Lion Heart” Taisacan in a mere 28 seconds.

Adelbai, who lost more than 80 lbs. and tipped the scales at 188 lbs., came out the aggressor against the 210-lb. Taisacan and forced the Haga Team fighter to tap out after an apparent dislocated shoulder.

Brendan Whelan of Australia and veteran runner Mamiko Oshima, for their part, topped the 15th Annual Tom Picarro Memorial Fun Run held last June 21 along Beach Road. Whelan later won the gold in the 2008 Oceania Championships’ 1,500m race.

CNMI junior netter Ji Hoon Heo is also now ranked 1,425 in the International Tennis Federation junior rankings after gaining points in his participation in the 2008 Open Junior BNP Paribas de Nouvelle Caledonie tournament in Noumea two weeks back.

Mieko Carey, meanwhile, came in sixth in her age group (30-34 years old) in the 2008 Ironman Kansas 70.3 race held last June 15 in Lawrence.

Carey, who was the 21st woman overall to cross the finish line, negotiated the 1.2-mile swim, a 56-mile bike, and a 13.1-mile run triathlon, in 5:31:16.97.