From left, Kina Rangamar, Daniel Joeb, Lyle Andrew, and Lia Rangamar celebrate their medals in athletics for Team Marianas.
(Northern Marianas Sports Association) — Team Marianas has set a new record after bringing its total gold medal haul in the 2024 Micronesian Games to 53 golds.
The 53 gold medals broke the NMI’s previous best of 44 golds won during the 2010 Micronesian Games in Palau. The NMI’s tennis, athletics, and swim teams contributed to the record-breaking day, as Team Marianas reclaimed the top spot in the medal tally with its 53 gold medals, 19 silvers, and 19 bronzes.
The NMI’s men’s and women’s tennis squads swept the team event to add 2 gold medals, while athletics chipped in 3 gold medals and 2 bronzes, and the islands’ swimmers capped their domination of the races at the Kwajalein pool by winning 11 gold medals, 3 silvers, and 3 bronzes.
With its 53 gold medals, Team Marianas is four golds shy of shattering the all-time record of 56 earned by Guam when it hosted the Micro Games in 1994. Palau holds the next best record in gold medal output in the Micro Games with its 54 in 2010.
Team Marianas swimmers and coaches pose for a group photo before Thursday’s finals at the Kwajalein pool.
Triumphant
Lyle Andrew handed the NMI its first gold medal in athletics after ruling the hammer throw with his 33.57m heave. Andrew defeated 5 other athletes, including teammate Daniel Joab, who settled for the bronze medal. Lia Rangamar also competed in the hammer throw and got a bronze in the women’s division.
Maria Quitugua joined the women’s javelin notched the gold medal, while Tania Tan lived up to high expectations after prevailing in the women’s 5,000m run. The official results of Tan and Quitugua’s respective events were unavailable at the Micro Games’ official website as of press time Thursday night, as well as the finals for the men’s 5,000m and the men’s and women’s 100m and 4x400m relay races.
Coach Jeff Race and players Colin Ramsey, Robbie Schorr and Si Woo Lee pose for a photo before the gold medal game against Guam in the team event.
Tennis sweep
In the women’s division, Isabel Heras and Irin Chung rallied in their respective singles games in the team event to hand the NMI the gold medal following a 3-0 triumph over Pohnpei in the finals. In the semis, the NMI bets had a similar 3-0 victory over Nauru.
“The NMI women’s tennis team won the gold with two major comebacks in singles. Playing #2 singles, Irin lost the first set against her opponent (Lovisa Williams), 4-6 and was down 2-5 in the second before working her way back to take it, 7-5. Irin then battled through the super tiebreaker and won it 10-8. Isabel Heras then took the court against Pohnpei’s #1 player (Leilah Etscheit) and lost the first set, 3-6. The NMI player with the big forehand was then down 5-6 in the second set but gained a tiebreaker, winning 7-2. That sent the match to a super tiebreaker with Heras coming out on top, 10-6, to secure the gold medal for the NMI women,” coach Jeff Race said.
Heras also played in the doubles, teaming up with Hoo Wang in beating Etscheit and Williams, 6-0, 6-0, for the sweep.
In the men’s division, Robbie Schoor and Colin Ramsey defeated Guam’s Aarman Sachdev and Aidan Schembari in the gold medal game. Schoor downed Schembari in the first singles match, while Ramsey took three sets to outlast Sachdev, 2-6, 7-5, 10-6.
Tania Tan proudly shows her gold medal in the 5,000m race.
No let up for swimmers
The swim events at the Kwajalein pool concluded with NMI swimmers showing no mercy, winning 11 of the 12 final races Thursday night.
The NMI swimmers ruled the men’s and women’s 200yd freestyle races and the men’s and women’s 400yd medley relay event. In the individual races, Isaiah Aleksenko got the golds in the 200yd individual medley and 50yd freestyle, while Kean Pajarillaga (800yd freestyle), Frances Raho (800yd freestyle), Shoko Litilumar (200yd IM), Kouki Watanabe (200yd breaststroke), and Maria Batallones (200m breaststroke) added one gold apiece.
Today, Friday, Team Marianas swimmers will see action in the ocean swim races and will be looking to win the five gold medals at stake — men’s and women’s 2.5K and 5K events and 1.25K mixed relay.
Besides the open water swim, Team Marianas athletes will still be competing in athletics, tennis (individual events), basketball, softball, and wrestling with four days left until the 2024 Micronesian Games concludes.
Team Marianas’ participation in the Micro Games is sponsored by the following: Joeten Daidai Foundation, Mariana Express Lines Pte. Ltd, Saipan and Northern Islands Legislative Delegation, Skechers, Triple J Enterprise, E-Land Group, D&Q, TakeCare Insurance, IT&E, Bank of Guam, Black Construction Corp., Dial-Rent-To-Own, RNV Construction, GPPC/Apex Builders, Matson, Chinese Association of Saipan, Y.K. Corp., LaoLao Bay Golf & Resort, Jose & Ruri Ayuyu Foundation/McDonald’s, P&A Corp., Artman Corp., Zoom Café, and I Love Saipan.
