The Marianas Outrigger Club’s masters men’s team members and Guam’s Bihun Tasi paddlers shake hands after completing the V6 1500m race of the 24th Micronesian Cup at the Crowne Plaza Resort Saipan beach on Saturday.
Participating teams vie for the lead during a masters women’s race in V6 long distance division of the 24th Micronesian Cup at the Crowne Plaza Resort Saipan beach on Saturday.
CNMI paddlers won six additional medals in the V6 1500m events on day 2 of the 24th Micronesian Cup at the Crowne Plaza Resort Saipan beach on Saturday.
In the open women’s division, the CNMI’s Marianas Outrigger Club clinched the gold with a time of 9:56.54, beating Guam’s Napu which clocked 9:58.65 while Poksai Canoe Club, also of Guam, came in third at 10:21.56.
MOC claimed another gold medal in the masters men’s division, clocking 9:13.50 as they bested Guam’s Bihun Tasi, which settled for silver at 9:32.93.
In the masters mixed division, the CNMI’s Marianas Pacific Paddlers earned their time in the spotlight as they came out on top with a time of 10:21.74 followed by Bihun Tasi at 11:32.93.
Three other gold medals were collected by the junior paddlers of the Saipan Paddling Club.
SPC 1 stole the show in the junior women’s division, recording an impressive time of 9:45.96 while Guam’s Puti’on Tasi took silver at 10:16.17, and Guam’s Taotao Galaide settled for the bronze at 10:55.67.
SPC 1 won its second gold in the junior men’s division with a finish time of 8:48.24 followed by Puti’on Tasi at 9:27.33, and Taotao Galaide at 9:46.89.
SPC 2, for their part, made the highlight reel by bagging gold in the junior mixed division with a finish time of 8:49.86, beating SPC 1, which clocked at 9:43.93, and Guam Haggan Juniors with a time of 10:04.97.
Day 3
On the third and final day of Micro Cip, CNMI paddlers notched more medals in the V1 and V6 long distance races.
In the V6 junior men’s finals, SPC earned a gold medal with a time of 1:03:18.60 followed by Puti’on Tasi for silver at 1:07:49.90 and Taotao Galaide, which claimed the bronze, at 1:11:18.50.
SPC’s junior women V6 team clinched gold with a time of 01:12:08.30 while Guam’s Puti’on Tasi came in second at 1:14:36.40 and Guam’s Taotao Galaide finished third at 1:20:40.30
In the V1 long distance, SPC team captain Tyler Andrew was unmatched in speed as he won gold in the junior men’s division with a time of 1:15:45.70. Teammate Philip Aldan earned the silver by clocking 1:17:26.90, while another teammate, Yuling Chai, won the bronze at 1:17:39.80.
MOC’s Maverick Itibus joined the podium as he won gold in the open men’s division with a time of 1:11:33.40. SPC’s Carter Calma took the silver at 1:13:43.10 while MOC’s Dan Taitano settled for the bronze at 1:18:08.60.
MOC’s V6 masters men team clocked 9:13.50 to bag the gold while Guam’s Bihun Tasi took home the silver with a finish time of 9:23.93.
In the V1 master’s women’s race, MPP’s Maria Ornes won gold as the only paddler in the event, finishing with a time of 1:34:54.70.
The long-distance races featured a 10-mile course for V6 open men and open women divisions, an 8-mile course for V6 masters and open mixed, and a 7.4-mile course for V6 and V6 junior division.
On Saturday, MOC coach Jason Tarkong shared his thoughts about the races. “It’s really nice to see this community here and the future of paddling,” he said. As for his team’s performance in the masters men’s division, he said “it’s been a while since we had a masters division in the Micro Cup but these conditions here, the canoes, and the gear have been really fantastic.”
Tarkong at the same time thanked the CNMI teams — MPP, MOC, SPC — the organizers, volunteers and the sponsors.
