In one of the eye-catching moments from the primary day of observe and subject motion on the Paris Olympics, Sharon Firisua – who ran for the Solomon Islands over 26.2 miles in Tokyo – raced within the preliminary spherical of the 100m.
Firisua completed ninth in a private better of 14.31 however can solely be lauded for her effort, given she is definitely a long-distance runner.
The 30-year-old competed for the Solomon Islands within the 5000m at Rio 2016 after which the marathon at Tokyo 2020. She completed fifteenth and 72nd in these respective races.
Firisua holds the nationwide document within the mile, 3000m, 3000m steeplechase, 5000m, 10,000m and marathon.
The rationale why Firisua was picked to run over 100m is that she didn’t truly qualify for the Olympic marathon however the Solomon Islands had a spare wildcard spot within the 100m.
Jovita Arunia [R] (Getty)
The Athletic Federation of the Solomon Islands really useful two sprinters take up the coveted wildcard place however the nation’s Olympic officers determined to provide it to Firisua.
It meant that the Solomon Islands 100m champion Jovita Arunia, who has a private better of 13.15 and represented her nation within the 100m at each the 2022 and 2023 World Championships, missed out.
Arunia additionally ran a private finest over 60m of 8.19 at this 12 months’s World Indoor Championships in Glasgow.
The 22-year-old has now threatened to fairly the game, stating that “I can’t compete anymore due to what they did”.
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