RMI athletes grab early Games medals

The Marshall Islands athletic delegation during Sunday’s opening ceremony at the Micronesian Games in Yap, Federated States of Micronesia.
The Marshall Islands athletic delegation during Sunday’s opening ceremony at the Micronesian Games in Yap, Federated States of Micronesia.

Marshall Islands athletes got off to a good start earlier this week at the Micronesian Games in Yap, picking up medals in several sports.

Perhaps the most remarkable medal winner is Mr. Gold himself, Waylon Muller, who at the tender age of 44, bulldogged his way to yet another gold in Yap. Waylon has won multiple gold medals over more than 20 years of Micronesian Games, a record of wrestling greatness unmatched in the region.

Wrestler Bollong Joklur, a newcomer to the Micronesian Games, won gold in the Greco-Roman competition Monday. He was joined in the medal tally by RMI wrestlers Richard Adiniwin, who took silver, and Isaiah Kramer and Kaiser Muller, who each won a bronze.

Meanwhile, in track and field, Sione Aho took silver in the discuss with a throw of over 36 meters.

In their opening game Monday against Saipan, RMI women’s basketball team defeated CNMI, 65-61. On Tuesday, RMI men’s basketball team demolished host Yap 108-65.

RMI’s two women’s beach volleyball teams won three of their first four games, Monday, including defeating Team Guam. RMI women’s team 2 of Darcyann Muller and Rutha Pedro defeated Team Yap in the opening game in straight sets, 23-21, 21-10. Later the same morning, Yap played RMI team 1 of Sidra Triplett and Aliyah Brown. RMI team 1 beat Yap again, 22-20 and 21-12.

In the afternoon, Triplett/Brown went on to shut down Guam with a decisive 21-9, 21-8 victory. Then RMI’s Muller/Pedro team played Palau to wrap up Monday’s beach volleyball. The two teams split the first two sets, with RMI winning the first 21-18 and Palau bouncing back to win in the second 21-15. This forced a rubber match, which the Palau women won 15-6 to take the match.

Tuesday, Muller/Pedro defeated Guam in straight sets 21-15 and 21-16, making it a sweep of Guam by both RMI teams. Palau continued its winning ways against RMI, but needed three sets to drop RMI 1: 13-21, 21-12 and 15-11. The final game Tuesday featured RMI 2 against Yap. Muller/Pedro took the first set 21-14, Yap bounced back in the second winning 21-16. The RMI women came back to take the rubber match, 15-11.

The finals for beach volleyball were being held Wednesday this week, with RMI 1 going for gold against Palau, and RMI 2 competing for bronze with Guam.

Read more about this in the July 20, 2018 edition of the Marshall Islands Journal.