The team.
To attend the Open and under-20 bi-ennial Oceania AA Championships in Rarotonga, Cook Islands, this month (June 2014), KAA selected four males, two in the Open age-group and two under-20s. The most experienced was Nooa Takooa (a London Olympian) who did the 200m. and 100m. and was part of the Relay team. Kiatau Cama was the other Senior (also 21), who did the same three events plus the Long Jump.
The two younger athletes were both 17 years old, one being Utiraoi Takaria and the other Saalim Farouq. Utiraoi was the busiest of the four doing 100, 200, Long Jump, Triple Jump and Relay, while Saalim did the 100, 400, Long Jump and Relay.
The Team Manager appointed by KAA was Mr. Keukeu Tiimii, a teacher and coach who is one of the ten new Level 1 coaches who qualified on Tarawa in January 2014.
The cow.
They had never seen a cow alive before so when they met it and it moved they all ran !! It was hilarious ! This was during an impromptu tour of Rarotonga with one of the I-Kiribati hosting families who visited us, supported us at the stadium, and gave us much hospitality and many joyful times during our stay.
The Edgewater Resort.
As with other small teams, the KAA team was accommodated in a three-bedroom "villa" with the possibility of self-catering (but that was only used for making coffee ! The food was excellent and varied and the services offered by all the staff were uniformly helpful and flexible. The electric "buggy" was a great boon to Assistant Team Manager (on crutches) David Little, who had flown in from UK to help with the team.
Results. (Please check the attachment for details and comments.)
Images.
The six images attached show the five I-Kiribati members of the team in the order:-Saalim, Utiraoi, Nooa, Keukeu, the team at the opening, and Kiatau.
Last Modified on 19/01/2015 09:12