South Pacific Games

Caledonie tops games

By Manoj Kumar

Caledonie, Caledonie ... was the famous chant around each of the venues at the 11th South Pacific Games in Guam last month.

There was doubting the impact New Caledonia had on the Games having regis tered a comprehensive victory on the over all medals chart.

Rain or shine, they proved far superior leaving in their wake 19 other island coun tries and taking over from where fellow French Territory Tahiti, left off in 1995.

Swimmer Oliver Saminadin rewrote the history books with a haul of 12 gold having settled for only one silver in the pool.

After 14 days of fun and joy, victory and heartbreak, New Caledonia basked in glory taking to the winners podium with a total hail of 72 gold, 54 silver and 44 bronze medals.

Fiji, crippled by lack of competitors in medal offering sports, weightlifting, karate and taekwondo were well placed by the leaders though satisfied with their collec tion of 102 medals - 33 gold, 32 silver and 102 bronze.

The Fijians were the ones to start and end the medal count with their beach vol leyball women’s team collecting the first gold on offer and the men’s 4x400 metres relay team taking out top spot in the last event on the final day at the Southern High School tracks in Mangilao.

Fiji’s Caroline Pickering was the pick of the pack taking out six gold medals and with it two games records.

Nauru, sitting with naught to its names after three days of competition, shot out of the barrel in style and at one stage were second on the medal tally courtesy of their dominance in weightlifting.

Fielding a tiny contingent, the Nauru ans did themselves and their country proud

returning with 27 gold, eight silver and seven bronze.

Paul Coffer and Marcus Stephens were an inspiration to the Nauru lifters weightlifting being their number one sport.

Tahiti, overall winners at home four years ago, were left off the table somewhat and only managed 25, 18 and 34 gold, silver and bronze respectively.

The Tahitians stood tall in outdoor sports - basketball and volleyball with a show of

discipline and professionalism.

Samoa surprised many with their perfor mance grabbing 32 medals including 19 gold. Papua New Guinea, aided by two relay gold medals, won on technicality over Fiji, matched PNG’s gold haul but fell back on the silver recount.

Vaciseva Tavaga’s inclusion in the 4xloo metres Fiji women team steered them to vic tory only to be stripped off gold upon a protest.

Tavaga, the organisers said, was initially listed for the 200 metres thus she was ineli gible to run in the relay.

Karolina Tanono let loose Fiji’s other gold when in her jubilation, tossed the relay baton in the air when crossing the finish line.

PNG’s most significant victory would have to be their softball slow pitch victory over homeside Guan in the grand final on the eve of the closing ceremony.

Samoa had its magic moment when the men’s team edged favourites Guam in the basketball decider weightlifter Ofisa Ofisa, a member of the ASP 2000 programme, shocked Fiji’s Rupeni Varea in the 85 kg class dominating the snatch, clean jerk and total.

He did it with ease in the snatch bettering Varea’s Games best lift by 10 kilograms with a new mark of 145 kg.

Boxing attracted the most crowd at the Dededo Gymnasium, New Caledonia, Samoa and Fiji shared the limelight - Fiji being the surprise package picking up its

first boxing gold in 16 years to Mohammed Arif.

The highlight of the games was champion sprinter Jone Delai’s fall from grace at the hands of fellow Fijian Moave Vu.

Fiji made a clean sweep of the blue ribbon even taking gold, silver and bronze. Delai fell further back in the 200 metres and was placed fourth in the race won by Fijian Aminiasi Babitu.

Ten-year-old Cyrine Sam was the youngest competitor around. The daugh ter of Tahitian table tennis president Ronald Sam, Syrine awed fans with her on-table antics.

A little over the height of the tennis table, young Cyrine proved a handful for the opposition. She won a couple of her games with the women’s team adding to her silver collection from last year’s Micronesian Games.

The Tahitians had a field day in canoe

racing notching 10 gold.

Their volleyball counterparts rocked the Fijians at the Southern High School Gymnasium. Confusion surrounded the outcome of the men’s teams gold title which eventually went New Caledonia’s way.

In golf, Fiji’s Daven Gopal, collected his prize - a hard earned singles gold.

Pacific ladies number one Tagifano So’onalole helped Samoa keep pace with New Caledonia and Tahiti in tennis.

Fiji was the target of all opposition in rugby. The world champions were tested in al facets of play and came through with ease winning all their game.

They won gold beating Papua New Guinea 40-12 in a six-men a side final

after two players were given marching

orders.

New Caledonia topped in table tennis winning the singles and teams event rather easily. Fiji showed the way in net ball in the absence of Cook Islands win

ning sevens games in all four top spots.

PNG was beaten 36-60 in the finals.

Overall, the last South Pacific Games of the millennium was seen as a huge success.

After months of planning and training fol lowed by two hectic weeks of competition, the Governor of Guam, Carl Gutirezz and his people can rest, satisfied with what many of the visitors said was “a job well done”. ■