Sharon Firisua will switch from the marathon to women's 100 metre sprint. GETTY IMAGES

In light of the widely debated decision for Solomon Islands long-distance runner Sharon Firisua to switch from the Marathon to the Women’s 100m Sprint at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, National Olympic Committee of Solomon Islands (NOCSI) President Martin Rara has clarified the decision and addressed related concerns.

Rara highlighted that the switch was driven by procedural needs, not arbitrary choices. “Sharon was not hand-picked; there is a process in place,” Rara clarified.

He detailed that the Solomon Islands Athletics Federation initially nominated Firisua and Steven Rahausi without specifying events, so their names were only entered into the system in April. After the Oceania Athletics Championships in Suva, Fiji, a new submission for athletes Jovita Aruina Ambrose and Luke Haga was made, but it missed the Paris 2024 entry deadlines.

“The Athletics Federation of Solomon Islands then approached NOCSI and reached out to Oceania Athletics Association, but was advised to contact the Paris 2024 Games Organising Committee,” Rara continued.





NOCSI consulted World Athletics, which confirmed that Firisua was the only eligible athlete since her name was active in the database without an assigned event. “The only person active in the database to compete in Paris was Sharon because she did not have an event tagged to her name and therefore can compete in the 100 meters event,” Rara noted.

This move was crucial to maintain the Solomon Islands' universality slot for the LA 2028 Olympics. Rara explained, “Going to the Olympics even on a wildcard, there is a process; the only reason why Sharon ran the 100m is because there was no one else in the system. If there had been anyone else entered, we would have considered a middle-distance runner or sprinter. There was no other option as Firisua was the only active athlete name in the system.”

Despite criticism, Firisua ran the Women’s 100m Preliminary Round, finishing with a time of 14.31 seconds at the Stade de France. Rara reiterated that the issue was due to late entry procedures, not any oversight or preference. “There was an administrative issue of late entries that has resulted in this situation,” he said, assuring that all procedures were properly followed to ensure the best representation for the Solomon Islands at the Games.