Omar, Motoyoshi are April’s best

Sprinter Tyrone Omar and triathlete Mieko Motoyoshi were recognized as the top athletes of April, while netter Ji Hoon Heo and young triathlete Ashley Northen topped the award for students.

The four were voted as top athletes of the month during the Northern Marianas Amateur Sports Association monthly meeting last night at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium conference room.

Omar, who will be competing in the upcoming 6th Micronesian Games, earned the male athlete of the month honor after speeding his way to victories in last Saturday’s CNMI National Track and Field Championships.

Omar was nominated by Northern Marianas Athletics after topping the 100m and 400m men’s open races.

His explosion off the blocks in the 100m was just a sign of things to come as he sprinted to victory in just 11 seconds.

Omar then finished the one-lap 400m race in just 58.88 seconds.

For her part, Motoyoshi represented well for Saipan in the 5th XTERRA Saipan Championships last April 1 and the 17th Annual Tagaman Triathlon on April 8, conquering both races as the first female Saipan finisher.

Motoyoshi placed 41st overall in the XTERRA and was the seventh women to cross the finish line with a time of 3:55:39 to win the women’s 25-29 age group to qualify for the XTERRA World Championships to be held on Maui.

The always-cheerful athlete was also one of 24 Saipan representatives in the Tagaman, placing 7th among females and 34th overall with a time of 3:53:48.

Motoyoshi had her strokes working for her as she completed the swim in 33:45, then tackled the bike in 2:08:34 before finishing strong with a time of 1:11:29 in the run.

With the Tagaman accomplishment, Motoyoshi was presented with a perpetual plaque that is awarded to the top Saipan finishers.

Heo, who is currently competing for a slot in the CNMI Micro Games tennis team, won two titles in April.

Last April 25th, the 14-year-old Heo took home another men’s open singles title after beating veteran Peter Loyola in straight sets, 6-3 and 6-4, in the inaugural Aon Insurance Tennis Tournament.

Just five days later, Heo earned the singles title in the 18-and-under competition of the 2006 UMDA Junior Tennis Tournament.

Known for his stamina, strong returns, and good shot placement, Heo overcame a tough challenge against fellow standout Ralph Buenaventura, and fought back from losing 4-6 in the opening set to take the second, 7-5. He was leading 1-0 in the third set when Buenaventura retired due to cramps.

Meanwhile, Northern got the plum after taking home top honors in the Northern Mariana Islands Triathlon Federation’s Kids Tryathlon Points Series, and winning her age group in the annual TagaKids Tryathlon last April 9.

In the TagaKids, which is the final of four races in the Points Series, Northern won the girl’s 10-11 group as she broke the one-hour mark to finish in 56:19.86, almost five minutes ahead of the next best finisher.

The win ensured her victory in the Points Series as she won three of four races to finish with 41 points.