Solomon Islands select marathon runner for 100m sprint
Olympic administrators in Solomon Islands have come under fire after selecting a marathon runner to run as a wildcard in the Paris Olympics Women’s 100-metre sprint event.
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00:00Questions are being raised in Solomon Islands after the country handed its spot in the Paris
00:07Olympics 100-metre race to marathon runner Sharon Firisua, who has never competed in
00:13the event.
00:14A now three-time Olympian, Firisua competed in the marathon at the Tokyo Games in 2021,
00:21finishing 72nd, and hoped to finish her decade-long career in the marathon next week in Paris.
00:28But she missed qualification.
00:30Smaller countries like Solomon Islands are offered wild cards into certain events, known
00:35as universality places.
00:38And the ABC understands administrators offered Firisua its spot in the 100 metres without
00:43consulting athletics organisations.
00:46The decision has come under fire in Solomon Islands, with the country's champion sprinter
00:51vowing never to compete again.
00:53Both the Solomon Islands Olympic Committee and Sharon Firisua did not respond to requests
01:00for comment.