[Source: Oceania Athletics/ Facebook]

It will be an exciting day as athletes from around the region will be battling it out at the Oceania Athletics at the HFC Bank Stadium starting today.

It kicks off with the Men’s 110m Hurdles at 12:45 pm, featuring Australia’s Chris Douglas, the current Oceania record holder in the 60m Hurdles, facing competition from Tayleb Willis and Jacob McCorry.

At 1:15 pm, the Women’s 100m Hurdles will see Danielle Shaw who recently broke the 13-second barrier, as the favorite, challenged by Papua New Guinea’s Adrine Monagi, who set a national record in April.

In the Men’s 100m race later in the afternoon, Australia’s Joshua Azzopardi and Jacob Despard will compete for crucial ranking points, alongside notable athletes like Pacific Games Bronze medallist Johnny Key, Fijian National Champion Waisake Tewa and Papua New Guinean Pais Wisil.

The Women’s 100m features Australia’s Bree Masters and Ella Connolly, aiming to build on their recent relay team qualification for the Olympics. Other competitors include Riley Day, Mia Gross, PNG’s Leonie Beu, and Fiji’s Braelyn Yee.

The Men’s 400m will see Alex Beck and Luke van Ratingen battling for ranking points, with Fijian 4×400 medallist Jonacani Koroi also in contention.

In the Men’s 800m, Triple Pacific Games Gold Medallist Yeshnil Karan will have a significant Olympic qualification opportunity, as his main competitor, Olympian Alex Beddoes has withdrawn to prepare for the Championships later in the week.

Field events will feature exciting matchups, including Australian athletes Liam Adcock, Henry Frayne, and Darcy Roper in the jumps, and Samantha Dale, Elizabeth Hedding, and Tomysha Clark in the women’s competitions.

Pacific Games Champion Desleigh Owusu will compete against Oceania Champion Kayla Cuba, and Nash Lowis, unbeaten in Pacific competitions, will lead the javelin throw.

In Women’s Discus, Commonwealth Games Finalist Taryn Gollshewsky will compete against rising Fijian star Brienna Rabakewa.