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Micro Games vets to lead Team CNMI in Cairns
Beo Ngirchongor, left, seen here sprinting after getting the baton from Orrin Pharmin during the 4x100m relay event in the 8th Micronesian Games in Pohnpei last year, is heading to Australia next month to compete in the 2015 Oceania Area Championships. (Kurt Barnes)
Micronesian Games veterans Rachel Abrams, Beo Ngirchongor, and Zarinae Sapong will lead Team CNMI’s campaign in the 2015 Oceania Area Championships next month in Cairns, Australia.
Marianas High School students Donavin Ada, Jeron Castillo, and Ivan Miller will be joining the three in the May 8 to 10 event set in Barlow Park.
The seven-member Team CNMI delegation, along with coach Ronald Olopai, will leave Saipan on May 5.
Northern Marianas Athletics official and longtime athletics coach Elias Rangamar was supposed to join the trip, but pulled out to help organize next week’s 12th Annual Public School System/McDonald’s All Schools Athletic Championship.
Abrams, who bagged three gold medals in last year’s Micro Games, is entered in her favorite events in the 100-meter dash and 200m run where she hopes to duplicate her record-breaking win.
Abrams won the 200m run gold last year in Pohnpei when she clocked 26.29 seconds to shatter the 26.41 record of former Team CNMI sprinter Yvonne Bennett in the Palau edition of the quadrennial event in 2010.
Ngirchongor is competing in the 200m and 400m runs, and 400m hurdles, while Sapong, who won silver in Pohnpei, will be joining Abrams in the 100m and 200m runs. Ngirchongor won the 400m run and 400m hurdles gold in the Micro Games.
Ada will try his luck in all throwing events—discus, javelin, and shotput—while Castillo will race in the 100m and 200m runs, and will also compete in long jump. Miller is entered in the field events of high jump and long jump.
Abrams, Ngirchongor, and Sapong are hoping their Micro Games stint would spill over to this year’s Oceania championship. They have training since December while Ada, Castillo, and Miller have been working out since February this year.
