53 players in badminton individual event

Johanna Kou of New Caledonia in action during the 2019 Pacific Mini Games in Apia, Samoa. She is the No. 1 seed in the women’s singles play in the badminton competition in the 2022 Northern Marianas Pacific Mini Games. (THERESE RIVERS)

Fifty-three players from seven member association countries will be competing in the 2022 Northern Marianas Pacific Mini Games’ individual event, which takes place from June 23 to 25  at the Gilbert C. Ada Gymnasium.
While Tuvalu is not competing in the mixed team event, it will be represented in a Pacific Games’ competition—although the ‘mini’ version—for the first time since 2011 in the individual tournament. Tuvalu will have Maeli Ioane and Betty Resture, while Wallis & Futuna will also be making its debut appearance in a Pacific Games tournament.

Men’s singles players
Tahiti’s Rémi Rossi swept the board at the Samoa 2019 Pacific Games, taking the gold medal in all three individual disciplines. Having resided in France for the past two and a half years to obtain his teaching qualification and train with the French national team, he returned to Oceania earlier this year to compete in the Continental Championships in April, where he bowed out in the Last 16. In this year’s Mini Games, he receives a bye into the second round where he will compete against the winner of the Maeli Ioane (Tuvalu) and Damien Coffin (Wallis and Futuna) contest.

The 2019 gold medal final has the potential for a repeat as the silver medalist from New Caledonia—Yohan De Geoffrey—enters the competition as second seed on the opposite end of the draw. De Geoffrey is also receiving a bye into the second round and will play against the winner of the match between Guam’s Allan Zhen and the NMI’s Jordan Pangilinan.

Moreover, Tahiti’s No. 3/4 seed Quentin Bernaix will be hoping to avenge his defeat in the bronze medal plXayoff in Samoa where he lost out to his compatriot, Louis Beaubouis, who is not competing at this year’s Games.

Women’s singles cast
Johanna Kou of New Caledonia is one of the most decorated badminton players in the Pacific Games, having already collected six gold, four silver and two bronze medals at previous editions (2003, 2007, 2011 and 2019). She remains on track to extend her medal haul this year, as she enters the women’s singles draw as top seed. Receiving a bye into the second round, she will open her campaign against Betty Resture of Tuvalu or Jennica Silva of Guam.

Meanwhile, Tahiti’s Mélissa Mi You and Jenica Lesourd also received byed into the second round, as second and 3/4 seeds respectively. Both players have enjoyed international action over the last year as they represented Tahiti at the TotalEnergies BWF Uber Cup Finals and Sudirman Cup Finals towards the end of 2021. (PR)

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