By James Sablan
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Variety News Staff
TEAM NMI displayed athletic dominance on Saturday as Nathania “Tania” Tan and Lyle Andrew each secured two gold medals in their respective events at the JFK Track & Field.
For middle- and long-distance standout Tan, the decision to compete was purely spontaneous.
“I had no plans going into this race. It was a last-minute decision,” Tan said in an interview with Variety. “I actually just wanted to support GTFA (Guam Track & Field Association), so I signed up for this race since I was in Guam at the time.”
That spontaneous decision quickly turned into a masterclass on the track. Competing in the Women’s Open 1,500 meters, Tan comfortably distanced herself from the field, crossing the finish line in 5:07.98 to secure first place — nearly half a minute ahead of the next competitor. Keira Paz took second in 5:32.51, followed by Ava Steele in 5:52.50.
Tan was not done setting the pace. She returned to the track for the Women’s Open 5,000 meters, where she delivered an even more dominant performance, clocking 19:32.77 to earn her second gold of the meet. She finished more than two minutes ahead of runner-up Paz (21:59.41), while Alexa Anderson placed third in 27:43.65.
While Tan controlled the track, teammate Lyle Andrew dominated the throwing circles, claiming two gold medals of his own in the men’s events.
In the Men’s Open discus (2kg), Andrew faced a tight battle in a competitive field. He ultimately secured the top spot with a seasonal-best throw of 38.58 meters, narrowly edging Kaden Guerrero, who finished second at 38.12 meters, while Victor Babauta III took third with 29.71 meters.
Andrew carried that momentum into the Men’s Open shot put. Once again, it came down to a duel between Andrew and Guerrero, but Andrew proved unstoppable, launching a winning throw of 10.49 meters to secure his second gold medal of the day. Guerrero placed second with 10.30 meters, while Jhavin Maniebo took third at 9.69 meters.
By the end of the meet, Tan and Andrew had collected four gold medals between them. What began as a casual trip to Guam and a show of support for the local athletic community concluded with one of the most dominant performances of the weekend.
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.
