‘Sharon Firisua was not hand-picked’

When Solomon Islands marathon runner Sharon Firisua raced in the women’s 100m heat at the Paris Olympics last Friday, the crowd stopped and gasped.

It wasn’t because those watching at Stade de France or on the television in their homes had not heard of the 30-year-old athlete. Maybe some.

It was more about what the commentator said - that the long-distance athlete had never raced the 100m in an international competition.

Firisua finished last in that 100m heat in 14.31 seconds, with the winner clocking 11.73secs.

The two-time Olympian finished 72nd in the marathon at the Tokyo Games in 2021 - the event was rescheduled due to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.

Tuvalu’s Temalini Manatoa, left, beats Solomon Islands' marathoner Sharon Firisua in the women's 100m heat at Stade de France. Photo/pool

Firisua’s selection for the sprints has since been heavily criticised by the Solomon Islands Athletics Federation (SIAF) and one of the country’s track champions.

So how did we get here? The International Olympic Committee (IOC), through major sponsors, funds two or three athletes from struggling nations to participate in the Games.

But Firisua’s Olympic 100m experience in Paris is not one she will want to remember.

The SIAF said it had recommended two sprinters for the IOC wildcards to Paris to the National Olympic Committee of Solomon Islands (NOCSI).

The SIAF said instead, the 100m berth went to Firisua who had failed to qualify for the marathon in Paris.

NOCSI President Martin Rara says the change was driven by procedural necessities and not by arbitrary decisions.

“Sharon was not hand-picked; there is a process in place,” Rara said in a statement.

He said the SIAF initially nominated Firisua and Steven Rahausi without specifying their events, leading to their names only being entered into the system in April.

Rara said after the Oceania Athletics Championships in Fiji in June, another submission for athletes Jovita Aruina Ambrose and Luke Haga was made, but it was “beyond the entry dates” for Paris 2024.

“The Athletics Federation of Solomon Islands then came back to NOCSI and reached out to Oceania Athletics Association, but the response was to bring it up with the Paris 2024 Games Organizing Committee,” he said.

Martin Rara says the decision to select marathoner Sharon Firisua to race the 100m in Paris was due to an administrative issue of late entries and not any oversight or preference. Photo/NOCSI

NOCSI sought further advice from World Athletics, which confirmed that the only athlete eligible to compete was Sharon Firisua due to her active status in the database without a tagged event.

“The only person active in the database to compete in Paris was Sharon because she did not have an event tagged to her name and therefore can compete in the 100 metres event,” Rara said.

This decision was essential to retain the Solomon Islands' universality slot for the Olympic Games LA 2028, he added.

“Going to the Olympics even on a wildcard, there is a process; the only reason why Sharon ran the 100m is because there was no one else in the system.

“If there was anybody else entered into the system, we would have gone with another option, a middle-distance runner or sprinter.

“There was no option as only Sharon Firisua was the only active athlete name in the system,” he said.

Rara said the situation arose from an administrative issue of late entries and was not due to any “oversight or preference”.

“There was an administrative issue of late entries that has resulted in this situation.”

He ensured that all procedures were followed appropriately, and the decision was made in the best interest of the Solomon Islands' representation at the Olympic Games.

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.

Watch PMN Olympics correspondent James Nokise's interview on Pacific Mornings.