Marathon runner forced to compete in Paris Olympics 2024 100m race as rival refuses to ever compete for country again
MARATHON runner Sharon Firisua bizarrely represented the Solomon Islands in the 100 metres… and predictably came last.
Firisua, 30, had not qualified for the event but officials gave her a wildcard spot.
She finished 74th in the marathon at the Tokyo Games and holds six national records but none of them are in distances under 1,500m.
And it was evident her sprinting speed was lacking as she came dead last in her heat with an underwhelming time of 14.31 seconds.
That was three seconds slower than race winner Zahria Allers-Liburd.
Firisua’s dismal display comes after Solomon Islands athletes and officials were already furious at the marathon runner being allowed to represent them.
And Jovita Arunia, one of the country’s best sprinters, has claimed she will not compete for her nation again due to the issue.
She told ABC News: “We’re the [actual] sprinters. I don’t know what went wrong. It’s unbelievable.
“I will not compete anymore because of what they did.”
Firisua, who also ran in the 5,000m in Rio, has not qualified for the marathon in Paris.
But her 100m appearance makes her one of two athletes from the Solomon Islands to appear at the 2024 Olympics.
Swimmer Isabella Millar is the only other competitor representing the 700,000 population.
Across the 5,000m, 10,000m, and half-marathon events, Firisua has won five gold medals at the Pacific Games.
In 2013, she was also named the Solomon Islands’ sportswoman of the year.