RECAP OF XII PACIFIC MINI GAMES

By Patrick Lujan

Team Guam should be all recovered and back home from the nearly two-week XII Pacific Mini Games in Palau.

Ninety eight Guam athletes competed in 10 sports and 24 more game officials participated. Out of the 23 countries playing, Guam finished 10th in medals with a total of 20.

Smaller islands such as CNMI, Nauru, American Samoa and Palau produced more medals. Tahiti was far and away the dominant country with a total of 142. No other country was within 40 medals of that.

The 2029 Pacific Mini Games will be held in the Cook Islands. They become the first country to host the PMG three times.

Other notable competitions coming up are the 2026 Micronesian Games where Nauru will host for the first time ever. The next Pacific Games will be held in Tahiti in 2027.

Here is a recap of all the sports Guam participated in.

ATHLETICS

The Guam Track & Field Association represented well with 16 athletes. It has been well documented on the accomplishments of Hugh Kent’s three medals (two gold, one silver) as well as Jordan Baden (one gold, one silver, one bronze). Hazel Wilson (women’s 100m hurdles) and Alonzo Acosta (men’s hammer bronze) managed to step onto the podium as well.

BASEBALL

Another heart-breaker for Guam baseball. For the second time in three years, Guam has lost to the host in the gold medal game. First to the CNMI in 2022 and now Palau.

The format was supposedly to be a 23U tournament, but the other countries brought their experienced players up into their 40s – except Guam. Nevertheless, Guam proved to play with the men once again, only to fall short for the gold.

3×3 BASKETBALL

It was a grueling tournament with some tough competition. The format was a true 23U tournament. Our young men finished in 5th out of 6 teams after a 4-8 record despite being +5 in point differential.

Our women’s team had to pull out of the competition after the first couple of days of play. Coming into Palau with only three players, one had to return home early, leaving them to forfeit the remainder of their games.

BEACH VOLLEYBALL

Our women’s team of Austia Mendiola/Kirsten Serrano represented well, rolling through the competition unbeaten before falling in the semis to the eventual gold medal team from Vanuatu. The D1 collegiate pair took home bronze. Our men’s squad finished a very respectable 7th place.

JUDO

Hailee Webber (half middleweight) led the way with a silver medal, while Kyle Nunez (half lightweight) squeezed in a bronze.

SOFTBALL

Another heart-breaker for Guam the day after baseball settled for silver. Our women’s fastpitch softball team put up a valiant performance, but just couldn’t figure out American Samoa, losing to them in pool play and in the gold medal game.

SWIMMING

Guam’s top swimmers came close to medals early on before finally hitting the podium with Amaya Bollinger’s (silver 200m butterfly).

Mia Lee (50m freestyle) and Israel Poppe (200m freestyle) had bronze performances that both were just a hundredth of a second from being silver.

TRIATHLON

The 2×2 team won bronze. Jake Torres came in respectable 4th. Manami Iijima was unable to defend her Mini Games crown due to illness the morning of the race.

VA’A

Guam’s squad couldn’t hang with some of the best paddlers in the region and the world. A true gauge on what to expect at this level of competition.

WEIGHTLIFTING

Chloe Santos was the first Guam athlete to get a medal, doing it in fashion with a gold and two silvers. Unfortunately, two lifters who were medalists in previous Games had to pull out right before the start for personal reasons and didn’t make the trip.

GSPN Coverage of Pacific Mini Games (HERE)

All photos by Dj Foster