Team NMI’s Theodore Rodgers, Tania Tan, Casey Cruz and Zarinae Sapong pose for a photo at the Oceania Athletics Championships 2024 in Suva, Fiji on Tuesday.
Contributed photo
TEAM NMI’s four athletes did well in their respective events during their debut in the Oceania Athletics Championships 2024 in Suva, Fiji on Tuesday.
Theodore Rodgers saw action in heat 3 of the Senior Men 100m and placed six out of seven runners with a time of 11.80.
Only the top four finishers qualified for the next round: Australia’s Joshua Azzopardi (10.60), Papua New Guinea’s Pais Wisil (10.68), Regional Australia’s Damon Brown (11.01), and Vanuatu’s Rizon Leo Rara (11.33).
The NMI’s Casey Cruz and Zarinae Sapong also performed well in the Senior Women’s 100m event.
In heat 2, Cruz finished fourth with a time of 13.42 but only the top two finishers — New Zealand’s Kelly Wilson (11.99) and Guam’s Regine Tugade (12.43) — qualified for the next round.
Sapong placed fourth in heat 3 with a time of 13.09, but only the top three advanced to the next round: New Zealand’s Brooke Somerfield (11.87), Regional Australia’s Aviva Damjanoic (12.06), and Papua New Guinea’s Adrine Monagi (12.09).
As for NMI’s only long-distance runner, Tania Tan, she placed fifth overall in the Senior Women 1500m finals with a time of 5:04.28. The top four were New Zealand’s Laura Nagel (4:22.10), Rebekah Greene (4:24.40), Boh Ritchie (4:25.69) and Papua New Guinea’s Scholastica Herman (4:46.94).
Casey Cruz said she has mixed feelings about her performance in Fiji. “I felt happy and grateful, but also sad. Due to a recent ankle injury, I wasn’t able to train much when I arrived in Fiji, which impacted my performance. However, I try not to dwell on it and instead remind myself that recovering from an injury is an achievement in itself,” she said.
Initially, her primary goal was to set a new personal best. However, everything changed when she sustained an injury. “My focus shifted to ensuring a proper recovery so I could get back to running,” she added.
All four NMI athletes will get another chance to qualify for the next round when they compete again today, Thursday.
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Publish date : 2024-06-05 12:00:00
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