Mattie Sasser

RMI athletes perform in Paris

RMI athletes perform in Paris

Two of the three Marshall Islands athletes competing in the early stages of the Paris Olympic Games delivered “personal best” times in their events. Phillip Kinono swam a personal best time of 27.43 seconds in the 50m freestyle event. He won his heat, which was an early preliminary heat. His time placed him number six […]

Games were a blast!

Games were a blast!

GIFF JOHNSON As the dust settles on the Micronesian Games, and athletes revel in their medals or hope for better performances next time, there is one overriding sense from this 10-island competition: Island athletes, coaches and officials were happy to get back into this sub-regional competition after a Covid-extended six-year break since the last Games […]

RMI athletes shine

RMI athletes shine

GIFF JOHNSON Marshall Islands sports men and women turned in many outstanding performances in the early days of the Micronesian Games starting this past Saturday. It kicked off with RMI women’s basketball team winning the RMI’s first medal of the Games, a bronze in the 3×3 basketball tournament, last Sunday afternoon. Winning the bronze for […]

High-wattage opening for Micro Games

High-wattage opening for Micro Games

GIFF JOHNSON The Micronesian Games kicked off in Majuro Saturday June 15 with a gala celebration that featured sports delegations from the 10 islands in the sub-region parading in uniform with flags and banners along a newly opened track field, a rarely performed traditional stick dance of the Marshall Islands, a Marshall Islands flag dance, and […]

It’s show time!

It’s show time!

GIFF JOHNSON There are no more “tomorrows” — the Micronesian Games are here! Athletes, coaches and officials are now living at the MIHS Micro Games Village, the Games food crew is turning out thousands of meals daily at the Village, and the RMI opening ceremony team is gearing for the big kickoff event this Saturday […]

Weightlifters star in Solomons

Weightlifters star in Solomons

EVE BURNS Four athletes from the RMI weightlifting team returned home last Friday after medaling in the Pacific Games in Solomon Islands. They left home and their families to train and compete for Marshall Islands, won all 10 of RMI’s Pacific Games medals, but returned to be met with no appreciation at the airport except […]

RMI lifter sparkles in Apia

RMI lifter sparkles in Apia

In the first session of the 2023 Oceania Weightlifting Federation’s (OWF) Youth, Junior and U23 Championships in Apia, Samoa last week, Marshall Islands weightlifters started strong with Mike Riklon winning the gold medal in the under-23 category in his 55kg (121 pounds). Not only is he now the reigning Oceania U23 Champion, but his six-for-six […]

Mattie smashes Pacific Games records

Mattie smashes Pacific Games records

On the first day of the Pacific Mini Games weightlifting competition, Marshall Islands’ Mathlynn “Mattie” Sasser dominated the women’s 63kg category, setting five Oceania and five Pacific Games records on her way to three gold medals. Her 219kg (483lbs) total was 46kg (101lbs) above silver-medalist Amanda Gould of New Zealand and bronze-medalist Maximina Uepa of […]

Mattie tops US lifting competition

Mattie tops US lifting competition

Mattie Sasser continued her winning ways with a gold medal performance in the United States earlier this month. Competing at the 2016 American Open weightlifting competition in Orlando, Florida, Sasser’s 88kg/194lb snatch and 113kg/249lb clean and jerk for a 201kg/442lbs total broke her previous Oceania 58kg junior snatch and total records.  At USA Weightlifting’s (USAW) […]