July 12, 2024
Thursday, July 11, 2024 – Maite, Guam
Team Guam is gearing up for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, and this time, it is the women who are leading the charge. With a total of eight athletes, this is the largest contingent since Atlanta 1996. Among them, seven are women and one is male. The final confirmation of athletes happened after the IOC deadline on July 08, 2024. Guam NOC President Ricardo C. Blas, along with the GNOC Board members, deliberated and approved Team Guam. The delegation will be under the guidance of Chef de Mission, James Borja. Let’s meet these remarkable athletes representing Guam:
Rckaela Aquino (Wrestling):
• Competing in the 57kg weight category, Rckaela qualified for Paris 2024 at the Africa-Oceania Olympic Qualifier held in Alexandria, Egypt.
• She is the first Guam athlete to secure consecutive Olympic Games qualification in the sport of Wrestling based on merit.
Mia-Lahnee Aquino (Wrestling):
• Mia-Lahnee also qualified on merit in the 53kg division at the Africa-Oceania Olympic Qualifier held in Alexandria, Egypt.
• Together with her sibling, Rckaela Aquino, they make history as Guam’s first female siblings to qualify for the Olympic Games based on merit at the same time.
Maria Escano (Judo):
• Maria secured the Continental Quota for Oceania in the Women’s -57kg weight category based on her performances over the last three years.
• She won a bronze medal at the 2022 Oceania World Cup in Tahiti.
• She competed across Europe, Asia, and Oceania.
Joseph Green (Athletics):
• Joseph was awarded a spot on Team Guam through the IOC Tripartite Commission and mandated by the IOC’s Gender Equity requirement.
• Green was the first Guam athlete to advance at the 2023 World Athletics Championship in Hungary in the Men’s 100m Sprint, which is the event he will be competing in at Paris 2024.
Manami Iijima (Triathlon):
• Manami earned her spot in the Women’s Individual event based on the Continental Quota for Oceania through consistent performances in the pro circuit over the past two years and with a string of top finishes, she accumulated the necessary points to compete in Paris.
• She competed at various locations across Europe, Asia, Africa, and Oceania.
• Had outstanding performances at the 2022 Pacific Mini Games in Saipan where she garnered a gold medal in Women’s Individual Triathlon, one in Women’s Aquathlon and another in the Women’s Half Marathon.
• She also won a silver medal at the 2024 Asia Triathlon Cup and South Triathlon Championships in Pokhara, Nepal and another silver medal at the 2023 Asia Triathlon Cup in Hong Kong.
Nicola Lagatao (Weightlifting):
• Through the Olympic Games Tripartite Commission, Nicola was awarded the Universality Place Allocation in the Women’s 49kg weight division.
• Lagatao won gold medals in her weight category at both the 2023 Oceania Championships and 2023 Pacific Games in the Solomon Islands, and 2022 Pacific Mini Games in Saipan.
Raina Taitingfong (Canoe and Kayak):
• Raina was awarded the Oceania Continental Quota in the 200m C1W Sprint.
• She will also compete in the 500m K1W event discipline.
Regine Tugade (Athletics):
• Regine secured her spot as the top Athletics athlete for Guam in the 100m Sprint. Recognized by the Guam NOC, she earned her spot by delivering an outstanding performance at the 2024 Micronesian Games in Majuro where she won a gold medal, set a new Micronesian Games record, and broke Guam’s national record in the Women’s 100m Sprint. She also won an additional three gold medals, two silvers and a bronze medal.
• She garnered 2 bronze medals in the Women’s 100m and 200m events at the 2023 Pacific Mini Games in the Solomon Islands.
• This will be Tugade’s third Olympic Games based on the Universality Place.
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In October 1987, Guam received International Olympic Committee recognition from IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch. The Guam Amateur Sports Federation merged with the newly created Guam National Olympic Committee to form a non-profit sports body.
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For more information, please contact;
Joey C. Miranda III
Communications Officer
guamnoc@teleguam.net
Phone: 1-671-787-2462
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