Melanesia and Polynesia runners take off during the final leg of the mixed 4×100 meter relay event of the 2023 Oceania Cup at the Oleai Sports Complex Oval track and field on Saturday.
MELANESIA executed well as a team to top most of the races — short, mid, and long distances — in the men’s and women’s divisions of the 2023 Oceania Cup, which was held from Thursday to Sunday at the Oleai Sports Complex Oval track and field.
In the women’s 100 meter invitational event, Melanesia’s Adrine Monagi bagged the gold with a time of 12.63 followed by teammate Chloe David, who took home the silver medal, at 13.27, and Polynesia’s Filomenaleonisa Iakopo, who received the bronze, at 13.61.
In the men’s division, Melanesia’s Pais Wisil won the gold with a time of 10.87 followed by Polynesia’s Johnny Key at 11.09, and Melanesia’s Inoke Waisake at 11.11.
Melanesia earned another gold in the 200 meter event with Leonie Beu finishing first with a time of 24.13 followed by Australia’s Alice Dixon at 24.87, and Adrine Monagi at 25.24.
In the men’s division, Melanesia’s Leroy Kamau won the gold with a time of 21.68 followed by Australia’s Daniel Blest at 21.89, and Melanesia’s Pais Wisil at 22.34.
Beu bagged her second gold in the women’s 400 meter race as she crossed the finish line first with a time of 55.71. Australia’s Dixon earned her second silver with a time of 55.97 while Polynesia’s Hereiti Bernardino took the bronze with a time of 58.75.
In the men’s division of the 400 meter event, Australia’s Blest moved up to claim gold with a time of 47.69 followed by Melanesia’s Adolf Kauba at 48.01, and teammate Daniel Baul at 48.15.
In the women’s 800 meter event, Australia’s Nyree Hamilton clinched gold with a time of 2:10.97, edging her compatriot Lily Mather who settled for silver with a time of 2:12.16 while Melanesia’s Scholastica Herman took the bronze at 2:13.81.
In the men’s 800 meter event, Melanesia’s Adolf Kauba came out on top with a time of 1:57.26 followed by Polynesia’s Rylie Cabalse at 2:02.35 and teammate Sione Taufeulungaki at 2:03.25.
Australia won another gold in the women’s 1500 meter distance with Lily Mather clocking 4:42.11 followed by teammate Nyree Hamilton at 4:42.48 and Melanesia’s Scholastica Herman at 4:52.48.
In the men’s 1500 meter race, Polynesia’s Rylie Cabalse was the first to cross the finish line with a time of 4:09.45 followed by Melanesia’s Aquila Turalom at 4:09.57, and Micronesia’s Hugh Kent at 4:21.96.
In the women’s 3000 meter event, Australia’s Leyla Liakatos won the gold with a time of 10:43.90 while the NMI’s Tania Tan settled for the silver with a time of 10:53.09 and Polynesia’s Amandine Matera earned the bronze at 11:12.58.
Melanesia’s Aquila Turalom bagged the gold in the the men’s 3000 meter distance with a time of 9:20.57 followed by Micronesia’s Hugh Kent at 9:23.46 and the NMI’s Pony Tang at 10:56.66.
Relay races
In the men’s 4×100 meter relay, Papau New Guinea A claimed gold with Karo Iga, Daniel Baul, Leroy Kamau, and Pais Wisil clocking 40.71 followed by Polynesia A’s Karalo Maibuca, Kolone Alefosio, Johnny Key, and Inoke Waisake, taking silver with a combined time of 41.63, and the Federated States of Micronesia’s Stanislaus Kostka, Alfred Weakness, Gabriel Sappa, and Jarret Robert earning bronze with a combined time of 45.18.
The mixed 4×100 relay event was topped by Melanesia A’s Adrine Monagi, Leroy Kamau, Leonie Beu, and Pais Wisil claiming gold with a combined time of 43.05, followed by Melanesia B’s Chloe David, Inoke Waisake, Rellie Kaputin, and Karo Iga who won silver with a combined time of 45.54, and Polynesia A’s Kolone Alefosio, Johnny Key, Hereiti Bernardino, and Filomenaleonisa Iakopo who took home the bronze with a combined time of 45.62.
The mixed 4×400 meter relay race was topped by Australia A’s Liam Fairweather, Nyree Hamilton, Daniel Blest, and Alice Dixon with a combined time of 3:31.53, followed by Melanesia A’s Daniel Baul, Leonie Beu, Edna Boafob, and Adolf Kauba with a combined time of 3:33.00, and Polynesia A’s Timothee Aumard, Kiara Gilroy, Rylie Cabalse, and Hereiti Bernardino with a combined time of 3:43.43.
Melanesia is No. 1
Team Melanesia garnered the most points — 273 — to top the 2023 Oceania Cup.
Polynesia finished second with 196 points; Australia was third with 190; Micronesia was fourth with 163; and the NMI was fifth with 138.
Team Melanesia consisted of Papua New Guinea, Fiji, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and Norfolk Island.
Polynesia comprised American Samoa, the Cook Islands, French Polynesia, Hawaii, Samoa, Tonga, and Tuvalu while Micronesia was composed of the Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, and Palau.
