Blibei has represented Palau in four of the seven Micronesian Games – in 1994 in Guam, 1998 in Palau, 2002 in Pohnpei, and 2010 again in Palau. She excels in Micronesian All Around, a traditional sport that involves climbing coconut trees, husking coconuts, swimming and diving.
“I feel really good. I’m happy that they recognized me,” Blibei said in an interview. “I got four gold medals for the Micronesian Games. The first one I got in Guam in 1994. Blibei said she’s supposed to have another gold medal in Guam, but it was given to another person by mistake.
Blibei who works as a stocker at Surangel and Sons said she will retire soon. “I’ll be 58 in December,” she said. “So this was my last Micro Games.”
In 2006, she was not able to join the Micro Games in Saipan because she had to raise her small grandson.
She added that she will definitely be in Pohnpei in 2014. “But maybe just as a cheerleader. I will be 64 by then.”
“Micronesian All Around is a hard game to play,” Blibei explained. “You get coconut from 15 to 20 feet, swim 100 feet, dive 25 feet under water, dive 10 feet for five times, then come back and swim 125 feet to the shore.” Blibei added that they also need to husk 10 coconuts and grate five of them to complete the game.
“It’s hard,” she said, while showing the cuts on her palm from grating and husking. “So that’s why maybe young girls are not interested to play this game.”
She said that for the Micro Games Guam in 1994, no young athletes were interested to play so the organizer asked her if she was willing to play.
Blibei noted that the younger generation doesn’t seem to be interested in playing and learning to play the game. “They’re more interested in volleyball, basketball and baseball,” she said. She added that maybe it’s a dying sport if people don’t promote it.
A grandmother of six, Blibei said she is willing and interested to teach young athletes to play the Micronesian All Around if they ask her.
Blibei also won a gold medal last year for Koror State during the Belau Games. She has also played for Peleliu State three times.
