Maria Igitol and Zarinae Sapong push through the starting point of the 100m event during the NMA Track & Field Challenge on Saturday at the Oleai Sports Complex.
The participants of the 100m sprint get ready for the event during the NMA Track & Field Challenge on Saturday at the Oleai Sports Complex.
ZARINAE Sapong and Theo Rodgers ruled the short distance events as they claimed two first-places finishes in the 2022 Northern Marianas Athletics Track & Field Challenge at the Oleai Sports Complex.
On Friday, Sapong and Rodgers claimed their first sprint event when they topped their respective divisions in the 200m sub-event.
Sapong, who has seen action in international and on-island sprint events, showcased her speed as she topped the women’s division with a time of 28.72.
Casey Cruz finished second with a time of 29.33 while Bernadette Horey claimed third with a time of 31.00.
In the men’s division, Rodgers clinched first place with a finish time of 24.59. Cody Shimizu came in second with a time of 25.41 followed by Caleb Cui in third with a time of 26.45.
Sapong added her second first-place win on Saturday when she cleared the short 100m distance with a time of 13.78. Her only other competitor, Maria Igitol, took second place with a time of 14.72.
Rodgers also earned his second top finish with a time of 11.82 followed by Alexander Camacho in second with a time of 12.00 and Kaipo Dikito in third with a time of 13.15.
Also joining the podium finish was Daniel Li who claimed first place in the mid-distance 800m event with a time of 02:28.3. In second place was Jacky Liu with a time of 02:36.6 while Jireh Wang came in third with a time of 02:39.1.
Long-distance runners
On Friday, Keith Ketola dominated the 1600m long distance with a time of 4:45. In second place was Dev Bachani with a time of 5:05 while Jacky Liu was third with a time of 5:19.
In the women’s division, Barbara Wang claimed the top spot with a time of 6:44 followed by Eunice Wu in second place at 6:56 and Eunice Xu in third at 7:11.
On Saturday, three age divisions participated in the 5K event.
Kate Leugers took first place in the women’s division with a time of 21:32 followed by Barbara Wang with a time of 27:24.
In the men’s division, Jireh Wang claimed the top spot with a time of 21:43 while Pony Tang was second with a time of 22:16 and Aaron Wang came in third with a time of 23:39.
And in the master’s division, Matthew Furan recorded a time of 21:41 while Chong Nam Lee finished with a time of 23:55.
