Background.
17-year-old male sprinter Mobera Tonana nearly went to the Oceania AA championships in Cairns in May 2015 but it took too long to obtain the necessary visas. So he was given his chance to attend the World Youth (under-18) Championships in Cali, Colombia. As with many such competitions, Oceania competitors gathered in Australia and travelled to gether to Colombia, South America. In terms of climate it is almost on the same latitude as his home island, Tarawa, the capital island of Kiribati, so he would have felt comfortable.
Competition.
As in most competitions at this level, less able athletes are encouraged to participate in the short sprints. Thus he appeared in Heat 2 (of 6 Heats) of the M100m. on July 15th. His Heat was won in 10.53. Mobera finished 8th. of the 8 runners with a P.B. of 11.89. (Head-wind -1.2) His reaction time was just under 0.2, which is good for Kiribati athletes.
However the slowest qualifier for the next round (Semi-Finals) ran 10.84, which gives some idea of what I-Kiribati sprinters need to target if they are to progress in major competitions. The Final was won in 10.29. Nevertheless to travel thousands of miles with strangers, go through the pre-race procedures, avoid false-starting and thus produce a PB must have pleased the young man and possibly inspired him to continue and develop in Athletics.
Last Modified on 04/06/2016 10:28