Shivneel Narayan/ONOC

Team Guam and Team Kiribati started their respective journeys at Paris 2024, competing in judo (JUD). Guam’s Maria Escano competed in the Women's -57 kg Preliminary Rounds against Mariana Esteves of Guinea. Despite her best efforts, Escano was defeated by Ippon through Hadaka-jime, with a final score of 0-10.

Similarly, Nera Tiebwa of Kiribati, one of our younger warriors, stood tall as she faced a tough match against Ukraine's Daria Bilodid in the same weight category. Bilodid secured her victory by Ippon using O-uchi-gari, concluding the match with a score of 0-10. In the Men's -73 kg Preliminary Rounds, and making his Olympic Games debut, 39-year-old William Tai Tin of Samoa also faced a challenging bout, ultimately falling 1-10 to Andrew Mlugu of Tanzania.

Rugby (RUG) saw a mix of highs and lows for our teams. The Fiji Women's Rugby Sevens team encountered a formidable New Zealand side in Women's Pool A, resulting in a 7-38 loss. In the 9-12 placing match, Fiji showed significant improvement but narrowly lost to Brazil with a score of 22-28. Meanwhile, the quarter-finals showcased impressive performances by our other teams from Oceania, with New Zealand defeating China 55-5, and Australia overcoming Ireland 32-10. Both teams are now in contention for medals in the next round.

In Table Tennis (TTE), Team Fiji’s Vicky Wu competed in the Men's Singles Round of 64 against Liam Pitchford of Team Great Britain. Wu put up a valiant fight but was ultimately outplayed, with Pitchford winning the match 4-0.

Our Oceania Warriors continue to represent us with determination and pride. We look forward to more thrilling moments and hopeful victories in the days to come.