Tania, Pony place in Oceania Cup 3,000m

Tan

Despite competing against more seasoned runners in the Pacific, CNMI runners Tania Tan and Pony Tang made their islands proud as they both had podium finishes in the competitive middle distance 3,000m race of the Oceania Cup last Saturday at the Oleai Sports Complex.

For Tan’s division, only Australia’s Leyla Liakatos finished ahead of her and clocked in first at 10:43.89; Tan came in a close second at 10:53.08; third was Polynesia’s Amandine Matera at 11:12.57; Melanesia’s Mary Tenge was fourth at 11:12.97; fifth was Micronesia’s Keira Paz at 12:20.22; and sixth was the CNMI’s Tiana Cabrera with 13:18.08

Tang galloped into third place with a time of 10:56.65 and topped five other CNMI runners in his division. First place went to Melanesia’s Aquila Turalom at 9:20.56; second went to Micronesia’s Hugh Kent with a time of 9:23.45.

Simon Tang came in fourth place with a time of 11:22.40; fifth was Sildrey Veloria at 11:29.53; Michael Mancao was sixth at 11:59.43; seventh was James Lin at 12:16.48; and eighth was Simon Necesito at 14:14.00.

Tan and Tang also competed in the 1,500m race. 

Tang

Tan placed fifth with a time of 5:07.31. First place went to Australia’s Lily Mather with 4:42.10; Australia’s Nyree Hamilton was second at 4:42.47; Melanesia’s Scholastica Herman was third at 4:52.47; fourth was Polynesia’s Amandine Matera at 5:03.71; Melanesia’s Mary Tenge was sixth with 5:13.05.

The CNMI’s Kaithlyn Chavez came in seventh with a time of 5:25.39; Micronesia’s Keira Paz came in eighth at 5:46.79; and CNMI’s Tiana Cabrera came in ninth with a time of 5:51.59.

Tang, for his part, finished fourth in the 1,500m race with a time of 4:59.14. Polynesia’s Rylie Cabalse took gold with a time of 4:09.44; silver went to Melanesia’s Aquila Turalom at 4:09.56; and bronze went to Micronesia’s Hugh Kent.

For Tan, she said “Even though it wasn’t a PR, I’m still happy with how I did in the 3,000m because I was able to score points for our team, which is all that matters.”

As for the Oceania Cup experience, she said “It was overall a good experience.It’s nice having more competition among international athletes from all over the Pacific. It pushes you to train harder and run faster during races. It’s an eye-opener and motivator to keep working hard to improve because everyone is so good. I’m glad I was able to finish both races healthy.”

Team NMI Oceania Cup athletes pose for a photo at the Oleai Sports Complex during the Oceania Cup event last Friday and Saturday.(CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)

Tang, with the Oceania Cup being his first international competition, said “I never expected to place, but it felt good crossing the finish line knowing that I got third. This 3,000m race felt shorter than usual, but the weather was really hot and humid when it started at 3:20pm. Overall, joining Oceania was a great experience. I got to meet other athletes, made new friends, and learned what to expect in future competitions.” 

In the men’s and women’s 800m, the CNMI did not have a podium finish, but still ran and pushed as hard and fast as they could.

First place in the men’s 800m was Melanesia’s Adolf Kauba at 1:57.25; second was Polynesia’s Rylie Cabalse at 2:02.34; third was Polynesia’s Sione Taufeulungake with a time of 2:03.24; fourth place went to Micronesia’s Hugh Kent at 2:07.20; fifth was the CNMI’s Cody Shimizu with a time of 2:13.03; Micronesia’s Jaedon Waay placed sixth with a time of 2:25.32; and seventh was Simon Tang at 2:27.59.

In the women’s 800m, Australia’s Nyree Hamilton took the gold with a time of 2:10.96; silver went to Australia’s Lily Mather at 2:12.15; bronze went to Scholastica Herman of Melanesia at 2:13.80; fourth place went to Polynesia’s Amandine Matera at 2:22.73; The CNMI’s Kaithlyn Chavez was fifth place at 2:29.24; and sixth place went to Micronesia’s Keira Paz at 2:49.33.