{"id":401202,"date":"2023-11-30T14:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-11-30T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/?p=401202"},"modified":"-0001-11-30T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"-0001-11-29T14:00:00","slug":"Gold-for-Tania-in-10-000m","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/Gold-for-Tania-in-10-000m\/","title":{"rendered":"Gold for Tania in 10,000m"},"content":{"rendered":"

HONIARA, Solomon Islands\u2014<\/strong>Gold is the new black and it\u2019s definitely Tania Tan\u2019s color as she bagged yet another gold medal in her second race, the 10,000m event, in a packed National Sports Stadium last night.<\/p>\n

This brings the NMI\u2019s medal tally to 12 total\u20145 gold, 1 silver, and 6 bronze medals.<\/p>\n

She really is a runner and a track star and she let everyone in the Pacific know it for the second time as the NMI flag and national anthem wafted through the air after coming from behind and bagging her second gold medal of the Games.<\/p>\n

Behind in the first few laps of the 25-lap race, Tan was in a tight-knit pack of four to five runners as New Caledonia\u2019s Deborah Kaboer\u2014who was bronze in the 5,000m race\u2014held steadfast in the lead. However, Tan put her running into sixth gear in the last half and overtook everyone ahead of her.<\/p>\n

Official times were unavailable at press time, but according to Team NMI and Northern Marianas Athletics officials, Tan timed in at sub 40-minutes and defeated 13 other runners entered in the longest race in Day 3 of the track and field event.<\/p>\n

The 22-year-old couldn\u2019t contain her emotions after she was interviewed by the press and was hugged by Team NMI chef de mission Nick Gross.<\/p>\n

In an interview with media, she said how she somehow managed to continue even as she ran with a side-stitch not even a mile into the race. She said, \u201cIt was really painful. I was like \u2018oh my God, I\u2019m not even one-fourth done.\u2019 I don\u2019t even think I was even a mile in, but I said, \u2018no, you have to push through!\u2019 and I eventually kept going, which is good\u2014and I ended up coming in first somehow.\u201d<\/p>\n

On how she felt after her 10,000m race just a couple days after her first gold in the 5,000m race, she exclaimed, \u201cI\u2019m tired. And it doesn\u2019t feel good! But I think that\u2019s the adrenaline really helping\u2014and obviously the crowd, it was crazy. I don\u2019t know if they were cheering for me or Diana or the other Solomon Islands runner, but I felt like they were cheering for me, so I\u2019ll just take it; definitely really tired now.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said she also did not expect to win gold again as she had just run the 5,000m two night ago and that Dianah Matekali from Solomon Islands didn\u2019t run it, but Tan just gave it all she got as she had nothing to lose. \u201cI just came out here and gave it all I got and it somehow all just worked out,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

She added, \u201cI\u2019m not complaining about the Solomon Islands it is like this because it\u2019s the Pacific Islands. They have limited resources\u2014even Saipan, but it is really hot in the rooms, the mattresses are like rock, but I have to think that it\u2019s not only you who\u2019s experiencing that\u2014everyone else is\u2014unless you book a hotel which I don\u2019t think anyone did.\u201d<\/p>\n

About representing the NMI, she said it felt \u201creally good. I honestly didn\u2019t know if I could come because I am still in college, and it is almost finals week. I literally have to go back next week, and I have a presentation on the day I arrive, and I haven\u2019t even started yet. I don\u2019t know what to do, but this was totally worth it. I\u2019m so glad that I came.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her advice to young athletes, she said, \u201cFor all those girls and men who think they\u2019re not good enough, don\u2019t give up\u2014please. You\u2019ll get there, just keep persevering.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for the CNMI flag being up for the second time, she said, \u201cIt\u2019s going to feel so surreal once I\u2019m up there. I might just start crying this time.\u201d She then thanked everyone back home and said, \u201cI hope I made you guys proud.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sweet revenge in beach volleyball<\/h4>\n<\/p>\n

NMI beach volleyball duo Logan Mister and Andrew Johnson bagged a sweet three-set victory over Vanuatu last night.<\/p>\n

It was a tough matchup from the opening serve, but Mister and Johnson held on to win, 23-21, 20-22, 15-12, and got the sweet revenge more than a year after coming second against the same team in the 2022 Pacific Mini Games in the CNMI.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Tania Tan beams with pride as she shows off the CNMI flag and her second gold medal of the Pacific Games after the awards ceremony of the 10,000m event last night at the National Sports Stadium.<\/p>\n

-LEIGH GASES
<\/figcaption><\/figure>

<\/p>\n

Tania Tan in her final lap in the 25-lap 10,000m race last night at the National Sports Stadium.<\/p>\n

-LEIGH GASES
<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

HONIARA, Solomon Islands\u2014Gold is the new black and it\u2019s definitely Tania Tan\u2019s color as she…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-401202","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/401202","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=401202"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/401202\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=401202"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=401202"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=401202"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}