Paris Olympic 2024: Eyebrows raised as Solomon Islands picks marathon runner for sprint

Solomon Islands has nominated a marathon runner to compete in women’s 100 metre Olympic heats Friday – to the surprise of the Pacific nation’s sprint champion.

Distance runner and two-time Olympian Sharon Firisua has not run the 100 metres in top-level competition, but will sprint alongside the world’s best at the Stade de France.

The Solomon Islands Athletics Federation had recommended two sprinters take up coveted wildcard spots at the games.

Instead, the country’s Olympic committee named 30-year-old Firisua, a national 1,500 metres champion who finished 72nd in the marathon at the Tokyo Olympics but failed to qualify for her chosen event this time round.

The decision was a “shock”, Michael Kuali, president of the Solomon Islands Athletics Federation, told Australian broadcaster ABC.

Firisua’s nomination drew the wrath of 22-year-old Solomon’s 100m and 200m champion Jovita Arunia who had dreamt of racing in Paris.

“We’re the sprinters. I don’t know what went wrong, it’s unbelievable,” she told ABC.

The country’s Olympic committee did not respond to a request for comment.

Arunia threatened to quit athletics over the decision.

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