Students lead the charge as capital dominates middle-distance final
BY RICHARD MENANOPO
Honiara stamped its authority on the athletics track on Tuesday after completing a clean sweep of the men’s 800 metres final at the Solomon Games, claiming gold, silver and bronze at the KG East End Sports Precinct.
Lawrence Samani led the charge to win gold in a time of 2:05.38, ahead of teammates Leslie Silas (2:05.63) and Hamuel Rara (2:06.36), capping a dominant performance by Team Honiara in one of the Games’ showcase middle-distance events.
Competing in his first Solomon Games, Samani described the victory as a memorable milestone.
“It means a lot to me because it’s my first time competing at the Solomon Games. I really enjoyed the experience, and winning the gold medal makes it even more special,” Samani said.
The young athlete credited his success to months of preparation under the guidance of his brother, Steven, who designed his training programme specifically for the 800 metres.
“During training, my brother Steven always prepared me for the 800 metres. We followed an 800-metre programme, and today I was able to achieve my goal,” he said.
Samani said patience was key to his race strategy.
“I waited until the final lap before increasing my pace. During the last 200 metres, my mind was completely focused on winning the gold medal,” he said.
He dedicated the achievement to his family, particularly his brother, for the support throughout his preparation.
Honiara Athletics Team Manager Eric Sitea said the one-two-three finish reflected the commitment shown by the athletes throughout their preparations.
“As the coach and team manager, I’m very proud. More than six provinces competed, and Honiara managed to finish first, second and third. It is a great achievement for our team,” Sitea said.
He said the success was built on months of disciplined training and hard work.
“The result came through a lot of hard work and dedicated training. The athletes worked very hard, and today’s performance reflects that effort,” he said.
Sitea revealed that most members of the Honiara athletics squad are students selected on merit during the school holiday period.
“Most of them are students. We selected them based on their performances and times to represent Honiara,” he said.
Looking ahead, Sitea expressed confidence that Honiara could continue its winning momentum in the sprint events.
“I’m confident we can also perform well in the 100 metres, 200 metres and 400 metres over the next few days. Hopefully, we can win more gold medals,” he said.
Athletics is one of seven sports contested at the 2026 Solomon Games currently underway in Honiara.
Competition continues throughout the week at the KG East End Sports Precinct, with athletes from seven participating provinces and Honiara City Council vying for medals across track and field events.
Photo credit: Richard Menanopo
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