Solomon Islands distance runner Sharon Firisua steps into sprints, finishes last in 100 at Olympics

SAINT-DENIS, France (AP) — Sharon Firisua of the Solomon Islands resembled and acted like a sprinter setting up her starting blocks. But when the gun went off, she was a marathoner trying to sprint.

The distance runner who was given her country’s lone spot in the women’s 100 meters at the Paris Olympics finished last in the field among the finishers on Friday. Her time of 14.31 seconds, though, was a personal best.

After the race, Firisua proved quick, weaving her way through the media mixed zone without talking to reporters.

This was her third trip to the Olympics — and first as a sprinter. She ran the 5,000 meters during the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games and the marathon at the Tokyo Games in 2021.

When Firisua didn’t qualify for Paris, her country’s Olympic officials decided to award her the wild-card spot they had been granted. Those spots typically are reserved for small countries as a way of providing their athletes a chance to compete in the big time, even if they don’t meet the necessary qualifying standard.

The country’s officials were told the 100 was the only race that had the space. Firisua didn’t have a time in the event, but she did have one in every distance from the 1,500 meters to the marathon.

In 2021, Firisua was named the tourism ambassador for the chain of islands in the western South Pacific, according to her Olympic bio.

Firisua’s 100 time ended up being 3.37 seconds slower than what reigning world champion Sha’Carri Richardson ran in a first-round heat later in the morning.

The pick of Firisua wasn’t without controversy. The country’s top sprinter, Jovita Arunia, did not qualify for the event and wasn’t given this spot.

“We’re the (actual) sprinters … I don’t know what went wrong, it’s unbelievable,” she told Australia’s ABC News.

Arunia added that she’s considering quitting the sport.

“I will not compete anymore because of what they did,” she said.

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AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games