Day of drama: Swimmer collapses, sprinter falls as Pacific athlete stuns in Paris Olympics

A decision by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to grant struggling athletes a moment in the spotlight was on full display in Paris.

However, the grant this time made the headlines for the wrong reasons, sparking debate about its true purpose.

The IOC policy aims to fund the world’s 'most in-need' nations where two or three of these countries' swimmers and sprinters are welcomed to the Olympics in the name of a major sponsor/s.

For the athletes selected, four years of sweat and dreams are compressed to 10 seconds on the track or half a minute in the pool and then they are whisked away to the airport for a flight home.

In 2000, Equatorial Guinea swimmer Eric Moussambani splashed his way to infamy at the Sydney Olympics.

Nicknamed ‘Eric the Eel’, Moussambani swam solo after the Tajikistan and Nigerian competitors false-started. But he struggled and nearly drowned during the 100m heat. The crowd’s cheers urged Moussambani to the wall.

Watch PMN Olympics correspondent James Nokise on Pacific Grandstand.

Twenty-four years later, Sharon Firisua of the Solomon Islands has kept 'Eric the Eel's' tradition alive - this time in the heats of the 100m at Stade de France on Friday, New Zealand time.

The 30-year-old marathon runner’s selection for the sprints has been heavily criticised, given she had never raced the 100m in an international competition.

During the heats, Firisua stumbled out of the starting blocks and across the finish line at 14.31sec. The heat winner, Zahria Allers-Liburd of Saint Kitts and Nevis, clocked 11.73sec.

While Moussambani’s feat in Sydney had a heroic, fairytale ending, one could not say the same for Firisua. Her Olympic 100m experience was intriguing, to say the least.

Following the race, Firisua strode past the waiting journalists without responding to their questions, French media said.

However, the media reports failed to state if Firisua had been instructed not to speak by the Solomon Islands Olympic Committee (SIOC), which is currently in a 'war of words' with the country’s athletics federation for “controversially ignoring” the latter's advice not to select her for the 100m.

The Solomon Islands Athletics Federation (SIAF) said in a statement that it had recommended two sprinters for the coveted IOC wildcards in Paris.

Solomon Islands sprints champ Jovita Arunia at the 2022 World Athletics Championship in Eugene, Oregon (US). She did not qualify for Paris. Photo/World Athletics

But the SIAF said instead, the 100m berth went to Firisua, who had finished 72nd in the marathon at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

She failed to qualify for the marathon in Paris and the SIOC awarded her the wild-card spot they had been granted by the IOC.

This is Firisua’s third appearance at the Olympics but her first as a sprinter. She competed in the 5000m in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and the marathon in Tokyo.

The Tokyo Games were rescheduled after it was postponed in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Solomons’ sprints champion Jovita Arunia, who was not selected for Paris after failing to qualify, has condemned the SIOC over Firisua’s nomination.

“We’re the sprinters. I don’t know what went wrong, it’s unbelievable,” Arunia told the journalists before Friday’s heats.

Arunia has also threatened to quit the sport. Team Solomons has been approached for comment.

Day of drama

There were reportedly shocking scenes on both the track and in the pool on Friday.

Slovakian swimmer Tamara Potocka is carried away on a stretcher after collapsing following the women's 200m individual medley at the Paris La Defense Arena. Photo/IOC pool

Swimmer Tamara Potocka, from Slovakia, collapsed after her 200m individual medley.

Having finished seventh in the heat, the 21-year-old was carried off on a stretcher with an oxygen mask, local media reported.

It was later confirmed that Potocka was conscious and under medical assessment.

At Stade de France, South Sudan’s Lucia Moris was carried off on a stretcher after reportedly falling to the ground in serious pain in the women’s 100m preliminary round.

Moris appeared to have suffered an injury midway through the race, which was won by Congo’s Natacha Ngoye.

Meanwhile, boxing had its fair share of controversy when Italian female fighter Angela Carini quit 46 seconds into her bout with Algeria's Imane Khelif whose gender identity has recently been questioned.

The Algerian was previously banned from women's events in the Olympics but the IOC lifted the restriction against Khelif for the Paris Games.

Carini stopped the fight after a few punches were exchanged and avoided shaking Khelif’s hand before falling to the floor in tears.

Fiji's Gerard Takayawa competes in the men's judo +100kg elimination round against Slovakia's Marius Fizel. The Fijian lost 0-10. Photo/Team Fiji

Results

Pacific athletes are continuing in their quest for more medals after Fiji’s silver win in the men’s rugby sevens last weekend.

There have been many personal bests recorded in Paris.

Sāmoan swimmer Kaiya Brown was the toast of Team Pacific on Saturday (3 August) after winning heat five of the women’s 50m freestyle. Papua New Guinea's Georgia-Leigh Vele finished in fifth place.

Fiji's Anahira McCutcheon came second in heat six while in heat four, Tonga's Noelani Day was the best finisher in fifth ahead of the Federated States of Micronesia's (FSM) Kestra Kihleng (6th) and Vanuatu's Loane Russet (8).

In heat three, Solomons' Isabella Millar finished in fifth place ahead of Palau's Yuri Hosei (8) while Marshall Islands’ Kayla Hepler finished fourth in heat two.

Fijian judoka Gerard Takayawa bowed out in the men's +100kg elimination round 0-10 against Slovakia's Marius Fizel.

Friday's track and field competition saw Guam’s Regine Tugade qualify for the heats of the women’s 100m after finishing fourth in the preliminary round with a time of 12.02. Tuvalu’s Temalini Manatoa, 20, finished 8th in 14.04 ahead of Firisua.

On Thursday, the swimmers recorded personal bests with Fiji’s David Young and Marshall Islands’ Philip Kinono joining Papua New Guinea’s Joshua Tarere, to win their heats in the men’s 50m freestyle. Tarere won his 100m heat on Wednesday. All three did not qualify for the finals. Jolanio Guterres from Timor Leste finished in seventh place.

In sailing, Fiji’s Viliame Ralulu and Sāmoa’s Eroni Leilua finished in 42 and 43 places respectively in the men’s dinghy opening series. Fijian Sophia Morgan and Sāmoan Vaimooia Ripley claimed the 33rd and 42nd spots in the women's dinghy.

The Paris Olympics end on 12 August. Find the official medal tally here.

PMN's Olympics coverage is proudly brought to you by the Pasifika Medical Association Group.

Guam sprints sensation Regine Tugade at a training session. The US naval officer qualified for the women’s 100m heats after finishing fourth in the preliminary round in Paris with a time of 12.02. Photo/Rick Cruz