Another full house at Honiara’s Aquatic Centre at the Sol2023 Pacific Games featured eight events with 15 preliminary heats plus eight finals.

In the first final of the night, Tasi Limtiaco of Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) moved two steps closer to his triple-gold goal after winning the men’s 50m breaststroke with a time of 29.17 seconds. Micah Masei from American Samoa (29.48) finished second and New Caledonia’s Alexandre Gane (29.60) finished third.

Before Sol2023, FSM had never won a medal in swimming at a Pacific Games and now they have two golds, courtesy of Limtiaco.

“It’s definitely a step closer to the triple crown, that’s my goal,” a delighted Limtiaco told the Pacific Games News Service. “I thought that the hundred (men’s 100m breaststroke) was going to be the hardest race, but I think that one (50m breaststroke) was the toughest one just because Micah from American Samoa, he was fast in the prelims so I was a little bit worried, but I managed to hold it together and get him at the end. I’m really happy.”

he women’s 50m breaststroke saw another rare change in gold medallists with Mary Connolly, one of only two swimmers from Cook Islands at this Games, claim victory with a time of 33.21 seconds, while Fijian teenager Kelera Mudunasuoko (33.42) picked up silver. In another turn of events Georgia-Leigh Vele (34.75) from Papua New Guinea (PNG) made the podium for bronze, making this the only event of the night where New Caledonia did not win a medal.

Connolly, also a Pacific Games debutant, expressed her delight that her first medal of Sol2023 is gold. She said: “I was trying to take a Games a medal home for Cook Islands and I’m very happy that it’s a gold, especially since the competitors were so strong.”

Mudunasuoko, who also won Fiji’s first medal of the Games on Monday said: “I was looking at the seed times and I was a bit confident. My friends were motivating me and I just had to do my best.”

Vele won PNG’s first swimming medal at Sol2023 and her first medal at a Pacific Games. However, a confusing end to the race saw Fiji’s Anahira McCutcheon disqualified, resulting in Vele being elevated to the bronze podium position from fourth.

She explained: “I heard that there was a DQ (disqualification) but I didn’t know what lane it was, and I didn’t know if it was my race or the boys before me, so I just went off doing my own thing and then a few of the girls from our team came over and told me (I had won bronze).

“It is such a proud moment. I was hoping for this. You never know what could happen, but I tried my best and God did the rest.”

Chloe Ameara, Vanuatu’s first ever female swimmer at the Pacific Games also raced in the 50m breaststroke and the 50m backstroke in the preliminary heats. She did not make the podium but told the Pacific Games News Service that she has learnt from those experiences.

“It was very fun, and I am very excited for the other events because these are definitely not my strongest events. Where I’m from, we don’t have very big facilities, so it was definitely an experience training and racing in a 50m pool and the outdoor pool, it was a good experience to race in,” she said.