Pacific Mini Games Athletics Preview – Day 1
Koror, Palau | July 4, 2025

Athletics action at the Pacific Mini Games gets underway in Palau with a packed Day 1 schedule featuring sprint showdowns, endurance tests, and field event action. Athletes from across Oceania are ready to make their mark on the newly resurfaced track at the Palau National Stadium.

Track Highlights

Men’s and Women’s 10,000m
Guam’s National Record Holder, Hugh Kent will be the one to watch leading the field of experienced runners in the Men’s Race while Northern Marianas’ Tania Tan leads the Women’s field with record breaking form.

Men’s 400m Hurdles
Papua New Guinea is expected to sweep this event with a strong contingent, building on their history of regional dominance in the one-lap hurdles, experienced campaigner Jeofry Limtiaco lines up from Guam.

Men’s and Women’s 100m
A stacked Men’s field features Papua New Guinea’s Pais Wisil and Toventuna Tuna, joined by Samoa’s Johnny Key, Nauru’s Winzar Kakiouea and Jonah Harris, and Australian sprinters Michael Alofokhai and James Gebert. National Records are on the line!
The Women’s 100m road to the finals will be one to watch with Australia’s Evelyn Jon Jimmy and Kayedel Smith up against Papua New Guinea’s Isila Apkup who is currently the highest ranked Pacific Island Athlete on the World Athletics Rankings in Palau. Keep an eye out for rising tide of Pacific Sprinters who take to the track in Palau.

Ambulant 100m (Men’s and Women’s)
PNG’s Steven Abraham returns in the Men’s ambulant 100m, while Dorna Longbut (PNG), Marcelline Moli (Vanuatu), Jasmaine Pethigou (New Caledonia), and Manega Tapari add battle in the Women’s Ambulant 100m

Men’s 4x100m and 4x400m Heats
Relay action begins with PNG and Fiji fielding strong line-ups in the 4x100m men’s heats, setting the stage for a high-energy final later in the week. The 4x400m has seen PNG and Fiji go head to head each year, the fight for the Bronze will be one to watch,

Field Events to Watch

Women’s Hammer Throw
Samoa’s Iorana Tafili features alongside Australians Natasha Lynch and Emily Thomas in the battle for the region’s hammer title and Iorana continues chasing down the Samoa National Record.

Long Jump
Australia’s Aden McDonald leads the field in the horizontal jumps. In the men’s competition, Piri Nga (Cook Islands) and Junior David (Solomon Islands) are also in medal contention. Olivia Reed (Marshall Islands) is event leader in the women’s field and the National Record Holder.

Javelin
The javelin runway welcomes the Australian duo Charlize Goody and Isabelle Cruikshank who lead the entry lists. Keep an eye on multi-eventer Solomon Islands’ Julian Sosimo as she narrows in on the National Record

Combined Events

Day 1 of the Octathlon (8 Events) sees the experienced Karo Iga (PNG) take on rising multi-event stary Waisale Inoke (Fiji). In the Women’s Heptathlon (7 events) look out for 2024 Oceania Bronze Medallist Reki Roberts (FIJ).

Day 1 of the Pacific Mini Games is shaping up to be an exciting way to kick off the Athletics program in Palau. Follow all the action on Oceania Athletics social platforms for updates, results. The Pacific Mini Games Youtube channel will feature a highlights package at the end of each day.

—ENDS—