(Northern Marianas Sports Association) — Youth athlete Seth Sablan continues to have an impressive debut in the 2025 Pacific Mini Games in Palau, as he won another medal in the wrestling competition.
After clinching a bronze medal in the men’s 71kg freestyle event last Monday, the 16-year-old this time struck gold in the 65kg Greco category on Tuesday at the Ngarachemayong Convention Center in Koror following a victory over Palau’s Kane Tarkong.
Ahead at 2-0 in the second and last half of his finals match against the obvious crowd favorite, Sablan initially found himself in trouble, as Tarkong seemed ready to take the NMI bet down. However, Sablan was able to move away from Tarkong’s hold and then pinned his opponent down long enough to earn the outright win.
With Sablan’s gold, Team Marianas (as of 7 p.m. Saipan time) has earned 4 gold medals, 3 silvers, and 3 bronzes. Sablan’s fellow wrestler, Miles Borja, claimed the silver medal in the 87kg Greco event
Team Marianas added a couple more medals on Day 2 of the Mini Games, as NMI swimmers made it to the finals after the qualifying swims in the morning session at the Palau Swim Pool in Meyuns last Tuesday.
Isaiah Aleksenko, who bagged a pair of gold medals on Day 1 following his victory in the 50m backstroke and 100m individual medley last Monday night, got gold No. 3 after winning the 100m butterfly race (official time was unavailable at press time). Aleksenko boosted his chances for a third gold medal after topping the qualifying race with the 100m butterfly with a time of 53.63 seconds.
Maria Batallones, who won a bronze in the 200m breaststroke last Monday night, notched her second when she finished runner-up in the 50m breaststroke finale last night. Batallones also had the second fastest qualifying time in Tuesday’s preliminary race in the 50m breaststroke after clocking in at 34.04 seconds.
In the 200m mixed medley relay, Batallones and Aleksenko teamed up with Kean Pajarillaga and Frances Raho and they reached the finals after submitting the third fastest time at 1:52.41. Pajarillaga, Batallones, Justin Ma, and Michael earlier last Monday night, won a bronze medal in the 4x100m freestyle relay.
Women’s basketball, men’s indoor v-ball win
Over at the Palau High School Gymnasium, the NMI Women’s National Team opened its 3×3 campaign with a 16-6 rout of the Federated States of Micronesia. The NMI is scheduled to duel the Solomon Islands in its second game on Day 1 of the 3×3 basketball competition, while the men’s squad was set to face FSM too in the opener, but results were unavailable at press time.
In men’s indoor volleyball, the NMI edged dominated Kiribati, 25-18, 25-4, 25-15, to bounce back from its opening day loss to Tahiti. The women’s team, on the other hand, are now 0-2 following a 19-25, 11-25, 13-25 defeat to Wallis & Futuna.
Weightlifting, beach v-ball events start today
2022 Pacific Mini Games medalist Leowell Cristobal opened the NMI Weightlifting Team’s bid for medals Tuesday when he competed in the 65kg class, while Devine Pua and Jaden Andrew saw action Wednesday in the 63kg and 79kg categories, respectively. Riella Ichiuo (79kg), Antonette Labausa (86kg), and Angel San Nicolas (110kg) will have their events on July 4, while Joey Colisao and Jason Limes will both compete in the 110+kg class on July 5.
In beach volleyball, 2022 Pacific Mini Games silver medalists Andrew Johnson and Logan Mister faced Tuvalu’s Ampex Isaac and Saafa Malosa at the Long Island Beach at 3 p.m. (4 p.m. Saipan time).
The NMI Baseball Team has yet to play its first game at the Nippon Baseball Stadium, as its match against FSM on Tuesday afternoon was cancelled due to the weather. The defending champion’s opener versus host Palau last Monday night was also rescheduled for the same reasons.
In women’s fastpitch softball, the NMI rallied against defending champion Papua New Guinea, but fell short in the end, losing a close match, 6-7. The NMI was down at 2-6, at the bottom of the fifth of the rain-delayed match but managed to fight back in the last two innings before PNG managed to hang on and keep the victory. The NMI will try to bounce back from the tough loss when it takes on FSM at the Meyuns Softball Field.
Team Marianas’ participation to the 2025 Pacific Mini Games is supported by the Office of the Governor, Saipan & Northern Islands Legislative Delegation, Joeten Daidai Foundation, Northern Marianas Sports Association, ASC Trust, Triple J, Tan Holdings, Altanx, E-Land, Quality Distributors, IT&E, Mobil, McDonald’s, Chinese Association, GPPC, Marianas Press, Matson, Bank of Guam, First Hawaiian Bank, LaoLao Bay Golf & Resort, Dial-Rent-To-Own, NMI Local Peace Corps Reunion Committee, Y.K. Corporation, Shell/AFE Marianas, LLC, Wushin, I Love Saipan, BC Corporation, Zoom Chicken, and Artman.
NMI wrestler Seth Sablan won the gold medal in the men’s 65kg Greco event in the 2025 Pacific Mini Games in Palau on Tuesday.
Marianas Press via NMSA
From left, Kean Pajarillaga, Justin Ma, Michael Miller, and Isaiah Aleksenko proudly pose with the CNMI flag after their podium finish in the 4x100m freestyle event.
Marianas Press via NMSA
Maria Batallones on her way to a bronze medal finish in the 200m breaststroke event.
Marianas Press via NMSA
The NMI Men’s and Women’s Indoor Volleyball Teams pose for a photo before attending the opening ceremony for the 2025 Pacific Mini Games in Palau.
Marianas Press via NMSA
