NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS 2009.
These have been scheduled for the morning of Saturday, May 16th. with some events being completed the previous (Friday) evening. As usual, this will be the first major competition of the year for the athletes and thus acts as an indicator of form and fitness. It will also provide preliminary selection data for the events later.
NEED TO CHANGE !
Due to the dates of the Oceania Congress clashing with our original arrangement for World Athletics Day 2 in Kiribati (May 09), we decided to move the KAA Championships to May 22 (evening) and May 23. Although this change was clearly booked and confirmed with the relevant Ministry agency, a serious clash occurred with a Football match on the Friday evening and more Football all day Saturday.
2009 REPORTS and RESULTS on "NEWS" file.
Please check out our "News" file for reports on these Championships. The Javelin had to be postponed because of the Football (for which problem we later received an apology !) It has now been completed (May 30).
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS 2007.
The facilities at the National Stadium have been booked for the evening of Friday, May 18th. and seven hours through the morning of Saturday, May 19th. We hope it stops raining before then !! This year, because there is no clash with a "Runga" (Inter-Island Championships), we can declare it a National Championships officially !
DAY 1. May 18th.
For more detailed results, please browse the "News" article.
As in recent years, we followed the same system of a short evening Meeting followed by the rest of the programme next morning. As has happened several times recently, we were the victims of a clash with Football, showing a breakdown in the booking system and a failure of some organisers to check ! Thus the Long Jumpers had to do their approach run through the Football match at one end while the Discus throwers risked killing Football players at the other ! Not an ideal set-up for good performances ! The effect was greater on the jumpers.
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS 2006. (Officially the "Tarawa Championships".)
The Stadium was booked, the newspapers and radio did their bit, the organisers of Football were helpful and co-operative, and the athletes were keen to participate. God also helped by keeping it dry ! As we had done in 2005, we decided to hold 5000m. races on Friday evening (May 19) and these were held separately for men and women. Banrenga won a "2-man" race in a fast 24-11.1 while the larger Mens' race ended in a 0.5 secs. win for new boy Itaaka, just out-sprinting Kabuati and both doing PBs. The field event on the first evening was Discus. Kimaia proved her class with a fair 25.87, beating five others who are young and promising. The Mens' event threatened to need floodlights as the sun set and the clouds came over ! Initially there were many errors by the 10 competitors, but returning-international Tiim Romatoa showed the best technique and power smashing the old NR by almost one metre with 37.85. All-rounder Rabangaki also achieved a PB with 34.77. On Saturday morning, we decided to use the back straight for the shorter sprints, being a better surface and a following wind ! In the W800m., Kimaia showed the running side of her ability, beating outer-islander Kelly Ted in a reasonable 2-53.5. In the M800, recent discovery Kaboka Faavae out-sprinted Beteru in a tactical 2-23.5, beating a field of eleven runners. The W100 gave 12-year-old Reebeta the chance to beat Olympian Kaitinano to set a PB of 13.5. Unfortunately there was not much real depth of quality among the other nine girls. The M100 had some class but only four competed. Mariuti won the first part of his double in a consistent 11.6, beating Tanroo and Toom. New boy Itinnaibo Natua produced a PB of 12.0 in staying with them ! The W200 result reversed the shorter sprint, with Kaitinano proving fitter than her young rival, winning in 29.3. The six other girls were not too far behind this time. Mariuti made it a double by taking the M200 in a PB 23.3. Behind him Toom ran 23.9 with Tanroo and Itinnaibo setting PBs. The second part of the Banrenga double came in the W1500, in 6-12.4, proving that, even if she is not improving, at least she is maintaining some consistency ! Later, Committee-man Tekooki took the M1500 in 4-53.2, enough to beat Kaboka but 20 seconds slower than five months ago ! As in the earlier 800, Kimaia beat Kelly in the W400, but the girls need to gear up their pace to sub-1.10 if they are to consider competing overseas ! Again there was a good field of nine. Similarly the boys needed three races for their 13 competitors, who were roughly graded into their Heats. The "A" race was tight between Toom and Mariuti, this time Toom out-lasting him in a fair 55.3. Beteru ran a tired 57.7 in third, then went back to try to win the High Jump ! (Unfortunate timing !) Large groups and long competitons were features of the field events. For example, totals in HJ (20), LJ (33), TJ (23), Javelin (26), Shot (16), and Discus (16). This attendance was very encouraging for the future of the technical events. It was also a tribute to the staying-power of the officials !! At least we had a tent this time ! In the WHJ Kimaia won at 1.25 with her first jump, then conserved her energy for other things ! The MHJ (as suggested above) went on a long time, with many interruptions, partly because the WHJ started late. Possibly not fair on Beteru, but Buraieta added this success (albeit at only 1.70) to his second place in the MTJ. He jumped tired in the MLJ and was disappointed. Meanwhile, Harry - soon to go to IAAF HPTC Auckland on a Scholarship - won the MTJ (13.15) then the MLJ (6.56). (See PHOTO from July 2005.) In the latter he was pushed to jump BIG by newcomer Ioritana who showed the benefit of listening to some basic coaching and producing a dramatic improvement to his PB up to 6.50. In all, the LJ was the best field event, with the first five men (out of 21) going over 6m., and the first six women (out of 12) going over 4.40. With a large number of athletes having their first serious jumping competition of the year, there were many PBs set. In the WTJ, the first two set PBs with Kaitinano being the latest over 9m. and sprinter-jumper Teriina getting closer with 8.86. Hovering in the background of the Mens' events was Taburimai Tewaki. He was the male Kiribati representative at the Athens Olympic Youth Camp in 2004. He has been to USP in Fiji but is the first to go to Tertiary education and maintain some form in Athletics. In these Championships he placed 4th. in the HJ, 4th. in the LJ, and 3rd. in the TJ. We have suggested to him, considering his former running ability, to think about Octathlon - and so last night (May 25) he was practising the Hurdles, well !! Kimaia was only 3cm. from her NR in the WJavelin and won fairly comfortably from nine others - but at least they all gained experience. (We do not have the space to do Javelin often !) A host of PBs in the MJavelin was due to the move up by the Intermediates and their first time with the 800 implement. Rabangaki threw consistently around 45m. to win and beat Takakia - who was less consistent ! Another big group (of 16) threw. Only four in the WShot, with leading exponent Taatia missing, but Tennis-player Aruea pushed an excellent PB nearly over the magic 10m. In the MShot, we welcomed back to competition two of the "old men" and they proved their worth by taking the first two places. Former international Tiim won with 12.60 and fellow-international Tatiringa followed with 11.90. We need more like them to be attracted back ! Finally a big "Thanks !" to all who helped, by collecting cones, carrying drinks, or standing in the hot sun holding a tape. We finished by 1.30 pm and were grateful for the services of visitor Robert Peterson, a coach from Sweden, who presented the prizes for field events, then gave his time to chat informally to athletes and coaches afterwards. A total of 93 athletes registered.
SUMMARY of RESULTS.
M100m. (4 ran) 1. Mariuti Uan. 11.6
2. Tanroo Taniera. 11.9
3. Toom Annaua. 11.9
W100m. (11 ran)1. Reebeta McKenzie. 13.5
2. Kaitinano Mwemweata. 14.1
M200m. (5 ran) 1. Mariuti Uan. 23.3 PB
2. Toom Annaua. 23.9
3. Tanroo Taniera. 24.1 PB
4. Itinnaibo Natua. 24.1 PB
W200m. (8 ran) 1. Kaitinano M. 29.3
2. Reebeta McKenzie. 30.5
3. Memetaake Taitai. 30.9
M400m. (13 ran)1. Toom Annaua. 55.3
2. Mariuti Uan. 55.9 PB
W400m. (9 ran) 1. Kimaia Dan Murdoch. 1-14.5
2. Kelly Ted. 1-15.9
M800m. (11 ran)1. Kaboka Faavae. 2-23.5 PB?
2. Beteru Ateri. 2-24.0
W800m. (6 ran) 1. Kimaia Dan Murdoch. 2-53.5
2. Kelly Ted. 2-57.1
3. Arititeti Tamiano. 2-59.8 PB
M1500m.(7 ran) 1. Tekooki Teieka. 4-53.2
2. Kaboka Faavae. 4-58.3
W1500m. (3 ran)1. Banrenga Baikia. 6-12.4
M5000m. (6 ran)1. Itaaka Beniamina. 19-35.0 PB
2. Kabuati Anterea. 19-35.5 PB
W5000m. (2 ran)1. Banrenga Baikia. 24-11.1
2. Arititeti Tamiano. 25-08.7 PB
WHJ (6) 1. Kimaia DM 1.25m.
MHJ (14) 1. Buraieta Yeeting. 1.70m.
2. Beteru Ateri. 1.65m.
3. David Peter. 1.65m.
4. Taburimai Tewaki. 1.65m.
WLJ (12) 1. Memetaake Taitai. 4.81m. PB
2. Kimaia DM 4.64m. PB
3. Kaitinano M 4.63m. PB
4. Teriina Tangitang. 4.58m. PB
5. Arititeti Tamiano. 4.50m. PB
6. Naomi Utimee. 4.44m. PB
MLJ (21) 1. Harry Highland. 6.56m.
2. Ioritana Bureieta. 6.50m. PB
3. Rabangaki Nawai. 6.32m.
4. Taburimai Tewaki. 6.15m. PB
WTJ (8) 1. Kaitinano M 9.34m. PB
2. Teriina Tangitang. 8.86m. PB
3. Kimaia DM 8.84m.
MTJ (15) 1. Harry Highland. 13.15m.
2. Buraieta Yeeting. 12.61m.
3. Taburimai Tewaki. 12.44m.
WShot (4) 1. Aruea Kaintikuaba. 9.88m. PB
2. Kimaia DM 8.55m.
MShot (12) 1. Tiim Romatoa. 12.60m. PB
2. Tatiringa Iteraera. 11.90m. PB
3. Takakia Tiitake. 11.60m.
WDiscus (6) 1. Kimaia DM 25.87m.
MDiscus (10) 1. Tiim Romatoa. 37.85m. NR
2. Rabangaki Nawai. 34.77m. PB
3. Klaus Teken. 32.02m.
WJavelin (10) 1. Kimaia DM 31.00m.
2. Matu Kaong. 24.50m. PB
MJavelin (16) 1. Rabangaki Nawai. 46.96m.
2. Takakia Tiitake. 40.67m.
Other events will be added as they happen.
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS 2005.
We have booked the facilities for Saturdays May 7th. and 14th., and Thursdays May 12th. and 19th. The Thursday dates (probably only one) will be used for our Nationals. However, we do not yet know the school holiday dates (end of Term 1.), nor the date of World Athletics Day (possibly May 7th.) Also we have requested an OOTC- funded visit from a coach around that time. (School holidays probably May 7 - 22.) Arrangements to be confirmed.
DL 29/12/04
MAY 2005 UP-DATE.
World Athletics Day in Kiribati was staged on Sat. May 7th. Please see report in News.
The National Championships took place in May. We used the evening of Weds. May 18th., six hours on May 19th. and part of Sat. May 21.
There is a report on News; please peruse !
The Coaching request had to be postponed to later in the year, partly due to confusion and independent decisions (by schools) about the holiday dates !
DL 21/05/05