They tried hard in Daegu.
As all the weaker Athletics nations have been for many years, we were again encouraged to enter only the best sprinters, one male and one female, to participate in the latest World Championships, in Daegu, South Korea. The two who travelled to Daegu, with Secretary Albert Brechtefeld as coach, in a way had mixed fortunes.
One of the best. (See image of George Pine)
The format of the Championships now involves having a series of "Preliminary Heats", for the weaker athletes, from which the best qualify for their First Round proper. The male KAA athlete was George Pine, with significant experience (including the World Indoor in Doha), and he fared quite well. On Day 1 (August 27) there were four Preliminary Heats for the M100m. George had one of the fastest reactions to the start and finished 4th. of the 8 competitors in 11.34, a 2011 best time for him. This placed him as one of the fastest of the Oceania island athletes competing in Daegu.
However, until I-Kiribati male athletes regularly break 11 seconds for 100m. they will not proceed past the first round of any major Championship race. This should be one of the major landmarks acting as targets for KAA.
The best she could do.
The female athlete representing KAA was Kabotaake Romeri. She has very limited overseas experience. In her Preliminary Heat (of five for the W100m. on Day 1) she reacted slowly at the start but nevertheless finished in a PB of 13.71. It is rare for I-Kiribati women to break 13 seconds and for them to feature internationally they need to be running close to 12 seconds. That has already been achieved by a number of women from neighbouring island nations, e.g. Nauru, who are physically not that different from the I-Kiribati. Again, it is a matter of setting and achieving new targets.
Last Modified on 26/09/2011 02:52