Tania Tan, right, poses with Solo, the mascot of the 2023 Pacific Games, before racing in the 5,000m run on Monday.
HONIARA, Solomon Islands (Northern Marianas Sports Association) — Tania Tan is the first NMI female athlete to win a pair of gold medals in the history of the islands’ participation in the Pacific Games.
Tan made heads turn in Honiara, the Solomon Islands — the host of the 2023 Pacific Games — after she dominated the 5,000m and 10,000m runs. She set a Pacific Games record in the 5K with her 18:08.69 time in Monday’s race and then returned to the Honiara Stadium Wednesday night and finished the 10K run first with a time of 39:45.62. The 22-year-old is the only runner to complete the 10K event under 40 minutes, as the runner-up finisher and home favorite Dianah Matekali clocked in at 40:16.42 seconds. In the 5K race, Tan’s was more than 30 seconds ahead of second finisher Herman Scholastica (18:38.93) of Papua New Guinea.
On top of her impressive times, Tan made history in the Pacific Games, as she became the NMI’s first female athlete to win two gold medals in the quadrennial competition. One other NMI athlete t earned a pair of goal medals in the Pacific Games — swimmer and Olympian Jonathan Sakovich.
Sakovich topped the 100m and 200m freestyle event in the 1987 South Pacific Games in Noumea, New Caledonia.
In the history of the NMI’s participation in the Pacific Games since 1975, it earned gold medals in only five editions of the games; 1987, 1999, 2011, 2019 and 2023.
In the 1999 South Pacific Games in Guam, the NMI’s two gold medals came from swimmer Xenavee Pangelinan (400m individual medley) and the men’s slowpitch softball team, which defeated Guam.
In 2011 in New Caledonia, the Joshua Jones-led NMI Men’s Baseball Team won the islands’ lone goal medal.
In 2019 in Apia, Samoa, the NMI got three gold medals, courtesy of tennis: men’s singles (Colin Sinclair), mixed doubles (Sinclair and Carol Lee), and men’s team event (Sinclair, Robbie Schorr, and Ken Song).
In Honiara, weightlifter Raymond Santos and swimmer Isaiah Aleksenko gave the NMI its first two gold medals in Week 1 of the 2023 Pacific Games. Bodybuilder Christina Tudela then opened Week 2 with a gold medal win in the model physique category before Tan clinched back-to-back golds in the athletics competition.
Mister, Andrew sweep pool play
In beach volleyball, Andrew Johnson and Logan Mister remain in medal contention after topping Group C and sweeping their three assignments in pool play.
The NMI duo capped their perfect record in pool play with a tough 23-21, 20-22, 15-12 win over Vanuatu’s James Chilia and Stivano Banga on Wednesday night. It was an early revenge for Johnson and Mister as they lost to the Vanuatu pair in the finale of last year’s Pacific Mini Games on Saipan. Besides beating Vanuatu, the NMI also trounced Palau and Tonga to reach the men’s championship bracket.
Johnson and Mister drew a bye in the championship bracket and were waiting for the winner in the afternoon match between Papua New Guinea and Samoa. The victor was scheduled take on the NMI in the 8 p.m. match (7 p.m. Saipan time) Thursday night and if Johnson and Mister win, they may likely challenge Australia, which also swept its assignments in Pool B.
In other games
The NMI Men’s National Football Team wrapped up its competition and scored one more goal in its last game in the 2023 Pacific Games. Markus Toves scored for the NMI in the second half to foil Tuvalu’s bid for a shutout win, 1-4.
In athletics, Theodore Rodgers saw action in the men’s 200m semis and clocked in at 24.5 seconds. In the women’s javelin, Maria Quitugua recorded 29.07m, while Lyle Andrew was scheduled to compete in the men’s discus throw Thursday night, but results of the event were unavailable at press time.
In va’a, the NMI women’s team reached the semis of the V6 1,500m race on Wednesday and clocked in at 13:47.42. Tahiti won the gold with a time of 9:52.02, while Fiji and Cook Islands got the silver and bronze, respectively. The va’a races will conclude today, Friday, with the men’s and women’s V6 24KM events.
This Saturday, the 2023 Pacific Games will wrap up the two-week competition. Team Marianas will leave Honiara this Sunday at 5:25 p.m. (Solomon Islands time) and their place expected to touch down at the Francisco C. Ada/Saipan International Airport on the same day at 8:35 p.m. (Saipan time)
Team Marianas’ participation in this year’s Pacific Games is supported by the Joeten Daidai Foundation, Triple J, Crowne Plaza Resort, IT&E, IP&E, Tan Siu Lin Foundation, Mobil, Tan Holdings, and McDonald’s.
The NMI’s Casey Cruz, left, races in the 100m run prelims in the 2023 Pacific Games at the National Stadium on Monday.
