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Gross to compete in Oceania Masters meet
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Posted on Sep 03 2019
The CNMI’s Nick Gross is seen here competing in the javelin throw in the 2018 Micronesian Games in Yap. (Hiroyuki More)
Micronesian Games medalist Nick Gross is in Queensland, Australia to represent the CNMI to the 20th Oceania Masters Athletics Championships.
Gross, who won a silver medal for the Commonwealth in last year’s Micro Games in Yap, will be competing in his favorite event—the javelin throw—in the men’s 30 to 49 age group today at 8am (same time on Saipan) at the Mackay Aquatic and Recreation Complex. The Public School System Athletic Program director is the lone non-Australian athlete in the javelin throw event in his age group, which is dominated by individuals in their mid 30s.
The 40-year-old Gross will go up against James Stewart, Rob Picking, Jamie Muscat, Shaun Peel, Norman Turner, Rene Doel, Richard Harris, Raymond Abdy, Euan McLean, Dan Copeland, Steven Cragg, Steven Magarry, Patrick McCarthey, Rodney Watson, and Tim Johnstone.
The Oceania Masters Athletics Championships started last Saturday and will run for a week. New Zealand’s Michael Bond won the competition’s first gold medal after ruling the 5,000m run in the men’s 75 to 89 age group. The 76-year-old runner clocked in at 24:27 to beat Australia’s Peter Sandery (24:50), Stephen Bark (29:38), Bryan Thomas (29:56), and Bob Schickert (34:40). Susanne Wilson, also from the Land Down Under, was the first female gold medalist of the tournament after topping the 50 to 79 age group’s 5,000m race. The 53-year-old timed in at 21:30 to win against three fellow Australian runners and New Zealand’s Lucy Andrews (24:35).
Meanwhile, besides competing in the Oceania Masters Athletics Championships, Gross is also the CNMI’s delegate to the Oceania Masters Council Election and attended last week’s road measuring course conducted by the International Association of Athletics Federations.
