Palau – the medals keep coming
Kazuumi Nestor once again delighted the home crowd with a fine performance in the Men’s 200m Butterfly Final. In his individual Finals he had placed 6th, 5th and 4th in the first three days. Today was to prove his turn to reach the podium as he finished the gruelling eight lengths in a time of 2-12.07. Joy for those watching as it was Palau’s second swimming bronze in as many days. After the race he gave an insight into the effort that is needed to produce that medal moment.
‘I’m actually really happy about this race. I came in this morning and took the National Record, my time in the Final was over five seconds quicker. I was just trying to survive. My hands were dead, my arms were dead. After the hundred, I couldn’t do the underwaters anymore. I did two off the wall and just tried to survive.’
Palau’s other swimmers featuring in the evening Finals‘ session were long distance athletes, Noel Keane and Erungel Williams. In the 1500m Men’s Freestyle they posted 17-52.13 and 18.26.01 respectively.
Noel finished a little outside his own National Record. However, that record was broken six years ago, and since then he has taken a break from swimming to go to college.
‘The last time I did this I was 16 years old and I’m 22 now and it’s been a couple of years since I’ve done it so it was pretty tough. I had a talk with my coach and my teammates. They pushed me through and they gave me a good strategy just to do my best. I did my best and I’m happy with what I did. I’m like, man, how do I do this? How did I used to do it? So I just went behind the blocks, and thought to figure it out along the way. It’s been a while too so I can’t be that hard on myself. I’ve been doing this sport for so long and I fell in love with it. I was like, you know what, this can take me somewhere.’
The fact that the Pacific Mini Games are back in Palau is also special to Noel,
‘The last Mini Games happened in 2005. I was about maybe three or four years old, and I don’t really remember much about it. Now 20 years later and Palau is hosting it. It’s so awesome and like swimming at my home court and I get to represent my country, it’s just an awesome feeling – I love it.’
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Words & interviews: The Reporters’ Academy. Photos: Ryota Nishida