By James Sablan
james@mvariety.com
Variety News Staff
THE CNMI definitely made a mark in Nuku’alofa, Tonga, as distance runner Tania Tan delivered an exceptional performance at the 2025 Oceania Cup, setting two new CNMI national records and securing valuable points for Team Micronesia.
The Oceania Cup, held from Oct. 29 to Nov. 1, featured regional teams competing in a point-based format.
Tan delivered outstanding performances in the middle-distance events, breaking CNMI records even though the 1,500m and 3,000m are not her usual distances.
In the women’s 1,500m, Tan clocked 5:00.76, a significant personal best or PB and a new national record, surpassing the previous mark of 5:01.54, set in 2006 by the CNMI’s Noriko Jim.
In an interview with Variety, Tan said, “I actually didn’t know I set a new CNMI record until a few hours later. There was no timing clock on the track, and the results weren’t loading after the race, so I didn’t even know.”
Though she narrowly missed her personal goal of breaking five minutes, her performance reflected her consistent training and determination. “I fell less than a second short of my goal, but overall, I’m still proud to come away with a new PR and a national record as well,” she said.
The women’s 3,000m event then saw Tan finish second overall with a time of 10:29.42 — another massive PB and a new CNMI outdoor national record, improving on her previous mark of 10:53.08 set at the 2023 Oceania Cup in Saipan.
Her focus in the 3,000m was on maximizing team points for Micronesia, making the new record an unexpected but welcome bonus. “I knew that our team needed as many points as possible, so I wanted to give it my best to help us score high,” she said.
Tan credited her success to consistency, trust in her training, and self-belief. She also highlighted the invaluable support from friends in Hawaii, who helped her find track access and training partners — something she said can be difficult to find otherwise.
Micronesian unity
Tan likewise expressed pride in representing the unified Team Micronesia, which includes athletes from the CNMI, Guam, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, and Kiribati.
“Usually, we’re all competing against each other, so it’s nice to finally be ‘one’ — to support and cheer for one another even though we’re from different islands,” Tan said.
“We might be the smallest region in the Pacific, but everyone gave it their all this week for the team. I’m proud of how we performed as a whole, no matter the results.”
Other CNMI members included Simon Tang and Maria Quitugua.
Tang competed in the men’s 110m hurdles, placing sixth with a time of 16.65 seconds, and in the mixed 4x400m relay with Team Micronesia, which finished in 4:07.31.
Quitugua competed in the women’s javelin throw, finishing fifth with a throw of 36.10 meters.
James Sablan has been a sports reporter for Variety since 2013. He was a liberal arts student of Northern Marianas College and covers all local sports.
