CNMI’s ‘unsung warrior’ laid to rest

Ketson “Jack” Kabiriel in action during his heyday in the 3,000m steeplechase at the Oleai track and field. (CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)

CNMI Sports Hall of Fame inductee Kurt Barnes says with the passing of Ketson “Jack” Kabiriel, the islands lost an unsung warrior and arguably its most versatile athlete.

Kabiriel was laid to rest last Monday, eight days after succumbing from oral cancer last March 25. He was just 47 years old.

“The CNMI just lost an unsung warrior, probably the most versatile athlete to come along in the last 30 years. Not only versatile in his athletic achievements, Jack was also a very happy individual and always has a smile on his face. Nothing seemed to ever bother him. He also represented the CNMI in paddling, triathlons, volleyball, and all the decathlon/heptathlon events such as the hurdles, shot put, high jump, long jump, and javelin,” said Barnes, who used to administer fun run events on island and worked at Northern Marianas College before returning to California in 2017.

Years after retiring from athletics and transitioning to volleyball, triathlon, and eventually outrigger canoe, Kabiriel continued to have a stranglehold on two CNMI national track records—800m (2:06.88) and triple jump (12.28m/40 feet and 3.5 inches).

“He leaves a legacy of sheer dominance in road racing and track and field events. He also holds the CNMI’s records in 800m and the triple jump. At one time he also held the 3,000m steeplechase record. He was the very first Micronesian to medal in the steeplechase by winning a silver medal in 2008, during the Oceania Athletics Championships. He also won many road races over the years,” said Barnes, who also used to be president of Northern Marianas Athletics.

Kabiriel is also listed in the Sports Legends of Micronesia that Barnes authored. The coffee table book, published in 2012, traced back sports statistics as early as the 1960s.

The aforementioned silver medal in 3,000m steeplechase in the 2008 Oceania Athletics Championships on Saipan was when Barnes’ most indelible memory of Kabiriel was formed.

“My fondest memory of him would be when he medaled in the 3,000m steeplechase during the Oceania Athletics Championships in 2008. The race was during the hottest time of the day but he plugged along and managed the three hurdles and water jump per lap. He almost won the gold but was passed at the finish line by a runner from Norfolk Island. The conditions were extremely difficult but he was a true warrior the entire race,” he said.

As well as his dominance in athletics, Barnes also knew Kabiriel as a very responsible and trustworthy guy outside the lines of the track and field.

“I used to administer all fun runs and road races in the 1990s. Jack would enter them and always be near the front runners. I also knew him as he worked at Safety 1st Systems CNMI, Inc. and was very knowledgeable about everything that was sold in the store.”

James Lee, one of Kabiriel’s Marianas Outrigger Club teammates, said the CNMI just didn’t lose a great athlete but an exceptional human being.

“For me, he was not just a teammate or a great all-around athlete. He was a brother that I’ve known and gone to competition battles with half of my life. I’ve been either teammates or have been competing with him for the past two decades in track and field, volleyball, basketball, and then outrigger, not to mention we’ve worked together for three years when I was managing Safety 1st System.

Lee said he and Kabiriel were teammates in the Ol’Aces team in the early 1990s along with former Saipan Tribune reporter and all-around good guy Shan Seman, Wayne Pua, and Shane Ogumoro.

“If there’s one thing I can always go back to from all the memories I have of him was his positive mindset on whatever situation he is facing. Whether it was training or competing, at work or throughout his battle with cancer, the genuine smile he had was always there and his positive attitude never faded. I was fortunate and blessed to have been his training partner, teammate, and a coworker for the past two decades because I got to learn that trade from him and had done my best to apply that positive mindset into my everyday life, regardless if it’s good or bad and win or lose,” added Lee.

One of his triathlon teammates, Dirk Sharer, said more than his athletics gifts, Kabiriel will be most remembered for how he treated others kindly and with utmost respect.

“He did compete in triathlons and what I recall was not only his athletic ability, but his big smile and kindness toward others regardless of outcome or circumstances. Genuinely a kind teammate, competitor, and human being. I’ll truly miss him,” he said.

The bronze medalist in the team triathlon competition of the 2003 Pacific Games in Suva, Fiji also said Kabiriel’s premature passing due to oral cancer should serve as a cautionary tale.

“I suspected, at some point, he would have challenges from his liking of betel nut and cigarettes,” he said, even as the CNMI is observing April as Oral Cancer Awareness Month.