A FAILURE OF WHAT ?
We knew before she went that our first Olympian, 24-year-old sprinter Ms. Kaitinano Mwemweata, had been suffering from asthma. When in Saipan in June, at the Oceania AA Championships, asthma caused her to miss the Heptathlon and then she bravely completed her first-ever 400m. Hurdles to win a bronze medal ! Since returning to Tarawa she has been training again and apparently recovering from that asthma attack.
She travelled to Fiji before the end of last month to continue her preparations and obtain her Chinese visa, since her Accreditation had not yet arrived from Beijing. The ongoing visa problems continued until last week, but the last we heard was that she was due to arrive belatedly in Beijing on Friday lunch-time, in time to get ready to carry the Kiribati flag in the Opening Ceremony. We did not manage to see that Opening. We have heard nothing more from the delegation until today. Thus we had no idea that Kaitinano had not actually reached China ! I wonder where she is now, since - if she returned to Tarawa - she has made no contact. Having had the Athens experience, I imagine she will be bitterly disappointed not to have made a little history by being the first Kiribati DOUBLE Olympian !.
A brief message from the delegation today suggested that she had not gone "for health reasons". In due course we will get the full story.
Last Modified on 14/08/2008 20:03