(Northern Marianas Sports Association) — Northern Marianas Athletics is positive that athletes participating in track and field events in next month’s 2024 Micronesian Games will surpass the NMI’s medal output from the 2018 edition of the competition.
Head coach Elias Rangamar said that NMA is confident of the team’s chances to win more medals in the Marshall Islands and is counting on the group’s entries in middle distance and relay races and jump events in delivering the goods for the NMI delegation. During the 2018 Micronesian Games held in Yap, the NMI won two 2 gold medals, 4 silvers, and 6 bronzes in the athletics competition.
Zarinae Sapong handed the NMI one of the two gold medals in 2018 when she topped the 200m race, while Rachel Abrams gave the islands the other gold medal in the high jump event. Sapong will lead the NMI Athletics Team in this year’s Micro Games and will be joined on the squad by 2023 Solomon Islands Pacific Games double gold medalist (5,000m and 10K races) Tania Tan. Competing the team are Lia and Kina Rangamar, Maria Quitugua, Cheraline Epity, Casey Cruz, Takeru Jim, Daniel Joab, Alexander Camacho, Bwilitomwar Rangamar, Christopher Cruz, Jared Ayuyu, Lyle Pedro, Pony and Simon Tang, Justin Camacho, Cody Shimizu, Theodore Rodgers, and Douglas Schmidt. Ronald Olopai and Robin Sapong are joining Elias Rangamar on the team officials list.
“Our athletes are in good shape and working very hard in our training sessions. The expectations are high, especially with many of them earning experience when they competed in the 2023 Pacific Games and the Oceania Championships last year, and some are competing in this year’s Oceania meet in Fiji. I am confident we will definitely have more medal chances in this year’s Micronesian Games,” Elias Rangamar said.
The long-time athletics coach is also pleased to share that they have a bunch of high school athletes on the team.
“This is good news, as we really want to discover and train young talents and to them, this experience in the Micro Games in the Marshall Islands is a good training opportunity. Their participation in the Micro Games is also important as we prepare for next year’s Pacific Mini Games in Palau,” Rangamar said.
The athletics competition in the 2024 Micronesian Games will run from June 19 to 24 and the NMI Athletics Team will be leaving Saipan for the Marshall Islands on June 15 to get a couple of days of training at the newly built Majuro Track and Field Facility.
The NMI Athletics Team is part of the 113-member delegation of Team Marianas, which is supported by the following sponsors: Mariana Express Lines Pte. Ltd, Saipan and Northern Islands Legislative Delegation, Skechers, Joeten Daidai Foundation, Triple J Motors, E-Land Group, D&Q, TakeCare Insurance, IT&E, Bank of Guam, Black Construction Corporation, Dial-Rent-To-Own, RNV Constructions, GPPC/Apex Builders, Matson, Chinese Association of Saipan, Y.K. Corporation, LaoLao Bay Golf & Resort, Jose & Ruri Ayuyu Foundation/McDonald’s, P&A Corporation, Zoom Café, and I Love Saipan.
