Marathon runner Sharon Firisua sprinted into stardom —but for all the wrong reasons. GETTY IMAGES

Sharon Firisua struggled to keep up with her fellow contenders in the women’s 100-metre preliminaries Friday, clocking in almost 3 seconds behind first place at 14.31. It’s no wonder, as the two-time Olympian is a distance specialist who has never competed in the 100m sprint before.

Firisua made her Olympic debut in Rio 2016, competing in the women’s 5000m and then the women’s marathon at the Tokyo Olympics. The 30-year-old was aiming to get to another Olympic marathon this year, but failed to qualify for her event. In a surprising move by her country’s Olympic committee, officials opted to award her the wildcard spot they had been granted for the 100m.



Wildcard slots are typically reserved for small countries to provide their athletes a chance to compete on the big stage, even if they do not meet the required qualifying standard. Firisua is one of only two athletes from the Solomon Islands competing at the Paris Games.

Michael Kuali, president of the Solomon Islands Athletics Federation, said that two sprinters were put forward by the nation to take part in the 100m, but the National Olympic Committee opted to make the controversial decision for Firisua to compete in the event.

The country’s top sprinter, Jovita Arunia, did not qualify for the event and wasn't given this spot.

"We’re the (actual) sprinters ... I don’t know what went wrong, it’s unbelievable," she told Australia’s ABC News.

Arunia added that she's considering quitting the sport.

"I will not compete anymore because of what they did," she said.

Firisua has taken home five golds at the Pacific Games across 500m, 10,000m, and half-marathon events. She is also a six-time medalist at the Oceania Championships four of those gold, and was named her country's sportswoman of the year in 2013. Her 14.31 for the fateful 100m is a personal best. 

Women’s 100m semi-finals begin 3 August at 19:50 CEST followed by the finals at 21:20 CEST.