Team Marianas’ female swimmers pose for photo after their preliminary races Monday in the 2024 Micronesian Games in Kwajalein, the Marshall Islands.
(Northern Marianas Sports Association) — Team Marianas has already earned 16 gold medals just three days into the competition in the 2024 Micronesian Games in the Marshall Islands, surpassing its record in the 2018 edition of the event held in Yap.
NMI swimmers and weightlifters contributed to Team Marianas’ strong showing Monday with the former adding 9 gold medals, four silvers, and three bronzes and the latter gaining three gold medals, two silvers, and a bronze.
After Day 3, Team Marianas’ medal tally was16-7-5 for a total of 28. In the 2018 Micronesian Games, NMI athletes went home with 9 golds, 18 silvers, and 9 golds for a total of 36 and a fifth-place finish in the medal standings. Pending the results of the other weight classes in the weightlifting competition yesterday, Team Marianas total gold medal of 16 leads the field.
The NMI’s Leowell Cristobal competes in the 67kg class in the weightlifting competition.
Weightlifter Kaya Rasa debuted in the Micronesian Games with her three-gold medal haul in the women’s 59kg class. Leowell Cristobal handed the NMI Weightlifting Team two silver medals and a bronze in the 67kg class before leaving Majuro to catch his return flight to Japan last night.
Over at the Kwajaein Pool for Day 2 of the swimming competition, NMI swimmers had another dominant performance, winning 9 of the 11 races on Monday.
Isaiah Aleksenko and Kean Pajarillaga led the NMI’s medal rush at the pool, as they each bagged two individual gold medals. Aleksenko ruled the men’s 50yd butterfly (21.59 seconds) and 200yd butterfly (1:45.45) and Pajarillaga topped the men’s 200yd freestyle (1:45.28) and 100yd backstroke (53.61).
The NMI Women’s Fast-Pitch Softball Team players warm up before their opening game against the Marshall Islands.
In the women’s division, Maria Batallones and Shoko Litulumar added one gold each with the former prevailing in the women’s 200yd freestyle (2:04.37) and the latter winning the 100yd backstroke (1:03.86). Another NMI swimmer, Frances Raho, clinched the silver in the women’s 100yd backstroke (1:04.21), while Kouki Watanabe also won a silver in the men’s 200yd butterfly (2:03.00). Litulumar got a silver too in the women’s 200yd butterfly (2:42.73), while her teammate Maria Guerrero took the bronze. Justin Ma and Raho got a bronze each in the 100yd backstroke and 200yd freestyle, respectively, while Batallones notched a silver in the women’s 50yd butterfly.
In the relay, it was another sweep for Team Marianas, as the NMI swimmers ruled the men and women’s 200yd medley, and the mixed 400yd freestyle relays races. Swimming competitions will continue today, Tuesday, as well as the weightlifting events.
The NMI’s Isaiah Aleksenko, center, leads the podium finishers in the 50yd butterfly race.
In other results, the NMI Women’s Basketball Team had a rousing debut after whipping Nauru, 55-37, at the Educational Cultural Center Monday afternoon. In the men’s division, the NMI was scheduled to battle host Marshall Islands in the 4 p.m. match (2 p.m. Saipan time), but results were unavailable as of press time.
Bronze medals games
In beach volleyball, Kathy Winkfield and Aurora Santos made it to the medal round and will play the Marshall Islands representatives for the bronze Tuesday morning. Jermaine Salas and Dylan Mister will also be fighting for the bronze medal against either Marshalls or Kiribati. In the gold medal games, it will be Palau versus Nauru in the men’s and Palau vs Guam in the women’s.
In women’s fast-pitch softball, the NMI’s opener against Marshalls in the morning duel was rain delayed and was played later last night with the hosts winning, 5-1. The NMI players return to the pitch today, Tuesday, as they take on Pohnpei in the 4 p.m. match (2 p.m. Saipan time).
