PACIFIC MINI GAMES

Team NMI are all smiles while carrying the CNMI, Pacific Games, and U.S. flags during the closing ceremony of the Northern Marianas Pacific Mini Games 2022 last June 25 at the Oleai Sports Complex.(QUINN BREADY)

If there was a category for sports story of the decade, the Northern Marianas Pacific Mini Games 2022 would take the cake.
Since there’s none, Saipan Tribune is gladly naming it the 2022 Sports Story of the Year—and by a mile!

Despite only having a little over two years to organize the quadrennial event, the CNMI not only delivered one of the best hosting duties of any Mini Games (some would say including the Pacific Games), but also had its best finish ever in terms of medals won.

With 16 gold, 13 silver, and nine bronze medals, Team NMI finished third in the overall medal standings behind Pacific Games powerhouses and Olympic nations Papua New Guinea and Tahiti. The 16 gold medals won and 38 total also surpasses the CNMI’s total in all Mini Games and Pacific Games it previously took part in.

From left, Pacific Games Council CEO Pacific Games Council CEO Andrew Minogue, Senate President Jude Hofschneider (R-Saipan), Pacific Mini Games Organizing Committee CEO Vicente “Ben” Babauta, Pacific Games Council president Vidya Lakhan, Pacific Mini Games Organizing Committee chair Marco Peter, and Northern Marianas Sports Association president Jerry Tan during the closing ceremony of the Northern Marianas Pacific Mini Games 2022 last June 25 at the Oleai Sports Complex. (QUINN BREADY)

To add to the superlatives, this year’s Mini Games was truly CNMI-wide, as Tinian (volleyball) and Rota (triathlon) also got to host the summer sports spectacle.

Weightlifting handed Team NMI 11 gold medals, with Ray Santos and David Barnhouse getting three apiece; Angel San Nicolas and Jason Limes gaining two each; and Joey Colisao adding one.

Tennis provided the home team three gold medals, with ATP Tour veteran Colin Sinclair prevailing in the men’s singles and teaming up with Robbie Schorr in the men’s doubles finals win. Sinclair, Schorr, Bobby Cruz, and Colin Ramsey also topped the men’s team event.

Golf’s Zhimin Jin also made it to the gold medalists list with her victory in the women’s individual event, while the NMI National Baseball Team capped the hosts’ gold rush with a 12-9 finals triumph over archrival Guam in the Mini Games’ penultimate day.

Weightlifting also gave Team NMI the most silvers with 10 (three each from Leo Apelo and Antonette Labausa, two from Colisao, and one apiece from Leowel Cristobal and Angel San Nicolas). Athletics added two, thanks to Orrin Pharmin and Denise Myers, while beach volleyball’s Logan Mister and Andrew Johnson chipped in one.

For the bronze medal tally, athletics’ Dennis Borja and the women’s 4x100m relay team (Casey Cruz, Zarinae Sapong, Maria Quitugua, Kina Rangamar) contributed one each. Golf’s Franco Santos, J.J. Atalig, Joshua Atalig, and Zhi Yun Li, triathlon’s Isaiah Aleksenko, Leo Wania, Kathy Ruszala, and Heather Brook, tennis’ Sinclair and Isabel Heras, and the va’a women’s V12 team (Danica Calvo, Elaine Sablan, Elizabeth Tenorio, Erryne Dasalla, Gerlyn Libunao, Heather Calderwood, Jenisha Dubrall, Kaya Rasa, Rica Concepcion, Teresa Sablan, Victoria Aldan, Vinalynn Oronigo), and weightlifting’s Riella Ann Ichiou and Jason Limes were the other bronze medalists.

And on the final day of competition, Team NMI went on to win medals in all nine sports featured in the Mini Games, as badminton’s Janelle Pangilinan and Jenine Savellano prevailed in their bronze medal match in the women’s doubles against Tahiti’s Hortensia Manzanal and Waianuhea Teheura, 21-12, 21-9.

And to think the CNMI almost gave back the hosting duties (Oh it did, only to take it back when it was allowed to host a scaled down Mini Games).

So, congratulations to the CNMI and its athletes for making June 17-25, 2022 not only the best nine days in sports—but one could argue—the best week and two days in the islands’ history.