Current:Home > FinanceMarathon runner Sharon Firisua competes in 100m at 2024 Paris Olympics -TrueNorth Capital Hub
Marathon runner Sharon Firisua competes in 100m at 2024 Paris Olympics
Indexbit Exchange View
Date:2025-04-11 01:09:43
Sharon Firisua’s 2024 Paris Olympics were a sprint. She probably would have preferred a marathon.
The Solomon Islands’ top marathon runner tackled her first sprint race in the women’s 100-meter on Friday on track and field’s biggest stage. Firisua, 30, decided to chase her Olympic dreams no matter the event, and the Olympics’ wildcard system allowed her to do just that.
Usually a distance runner, Firisua competed in the 5,000m in the 2016 Rio Olympics and the marathon in 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where she placed 72nd with a time of 3:02:10. This time around, though, she used the starting blocks for the first time, finishing last in the 100m preliminary round with a personal best time of 14.31.
➤ Get Olympics updates in your texts! Join USA TODAY Sports' WhatsApp Channel
Firisua holds the Solomon Islands’ record in the mile, 3000m, 3000m steeplechase, 5000m, 10,000m and marathon and was the country’s flag bearer in Tokyo and Paris.
2024 Olympic medals: Who is leading the medal count? Follow along as we track the medals for every sport.
When Firisua failed to qualify for Paris in the marathon, Solomon Islands officials awarded her the nation’s sole wildcard spot in the women’s 100m competition, the AP reported. Wildcard spots, or universality places, are allocated to smaller, underrepresented nations at the Olympics to allow some of their athletes to compete even if they fail to meet the other qualifying requirements.
Firisua is just one of two athletes representing the Solomon Islands. The South Pacific nation also sent swimmer Isabella Millar.
However, while Firisua’s participation certainly made for a compelling narrative it did not come without controversy. The nation’s leading sprinters questioned why they had been snubbed in favor of Firisua, who had never competed a distance below 1500m at the top level.
Jovita Arunia, a sprinter from the Solomon Islands whose 100m season best of 13.15 seconds is over one second faster than Firisua’s, voiced frustration with the selection process.
“We're the (actual) sprinters ... I don't know what went wrong, it's unbelievable," Arunia told ABC Australia. “I will not compete anymore because of what they did.”
The USA TODAY app brings you every Team USA medal — right when it happens. Download for full Olympics coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and much more.
veryGood! (285)
Related
- South Korea's acting president moves to reassure allies, calm markets after Yoon impeachment
- Old video games are new again on Atari 2600+ retro-gaming console
- Erin Andrews Breaks Down in Tears Detailing Moment She Learned She'd Been Secretly Videotaped
- How Mark Wahlberg’s Kids Are Following in His Footsteps
- Moving abroad can be expensive: These 5 countries will 'pay' you to move there
- Massachusetts to let homeless families stay overnight in state’s transportation building
- Nearly 1,000 Rohingya refugees arrive by boat in Indonesia’s Aceh region in one week
- Kelce Bowl: Chiefs’ Travis, Eagles’ Jason the center of attention in a Super Bowl rematch
- Appeals court scraps Nasdaq boardroom diversity rules in latest DEI setback
- Second suspect arrested in Morgan State University shooting
Ranking
- Don't let hackers fool you with a 'scam
- Why is Angel Reese benched? What we know about LSU star as she misses another game
- Nearly 1,000 Rohingya refugees arrive by boat in Indonesia’s Aceh region in one week
- New Hampshire man had no car, no furniture, but died with a big secret, leaving his town millions
- Meta releases AI model to enhance Metaverse experience
- A memoir about life 'in the margins,' 'Class' picks up where 'Maid' left off
- Hundreds leave Al-Shifa hospital in Gaza as Israeli forces take control of facility
- What’s open and closed on Thanksgiving this year?
Recommendation
Israel lets Palestinians go back to northern Gaza for first time in over a year as cease
Companies are stealthily cutting benefits to afford higher wages. What employees should know
'The price of admission for us is constant hate:' Why a Holocaust survivor quit TikTok
Key L.A. freeway hit by arson fire reopens weeks earlier than expected
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
'The price of admission for us is constant hate:' Why a Holocaust survivor quit TikTok
Slain New Hampshire security guard honored at candlelight vigil
New York City’s ban on police chokeholds, diaphragm compression upheld by state’s high court