Australia’s Georgia Harris wins women’s 100m

In a sprint spectacle at the Sol2023 Pacific Games on Tuesday night, Australia’s Georgia Harris flashed through the women’s 100m final at Honiara’s National Stadium, clocking an impressive 11.70 seconds to secure gold.

Throughout the heats and semi-finals, the 20-year-old student from Brisbane had dominated, however Guam’s Regine Tugade-Watson had been expected to challenge for first place but ended up in third (11.92 seconds).

Instead, it was Papua New Guinea’s Isila Apkup who claimed the silver in a swift 11.86 seconds. Her countrywoman Leonie Beu, who got bronze in this event four years ago at the Samoa 2019 Pacific Games, finished fifth this time around.

Apkup told the Pacific Games News Service: “I’m happy about this race. It is my second time representing my country at the Pacific Games. I pushed myself to win the race and I did it by winning the silver medal. I would like to dedicate this medal to my homeland and the millions of people in PNG. I will continue to keep on focusing and should the 2027 Pacific Games come I will be well-prepared.”

By Peter Psalm and Steven Kamoa, Pacific Games News Service