SUVA, Fiji (Pacific Daily News, July 1) - Team Palau will be looking to medal in two events today at the outrigger canoeing event of the 2003 South Pacific Games at Foreshore Park.
Palau's female team competing in the Va'a-6 500-meter sprint finished in second place in their semifinal heat with a time of 2:16. They paddled in behind Tahiti, the defending gold medallists, who clocked in at 2:02.
Palau's Jacquie Ngirdimau finished in third place in the V-1 500-meter sprint with a 3:00.23 time. She finished behind Evangelique Tehiva (2:33.84) and Marie Allan from the Cook Islands (2:44.92).
Additionally, Palau finished in fourth place in four other events, just one place shy of advancing into the finals.
In the women's V-6 2,500-meter sprint, Team Palau finished a little more than a minute behind third place Samoa in their heat with a 14:45.48 showing.
Their male counterparts also finished in fourth place with a 12:36.80 time in the same event.
In the men's V-6 500-meter sprint, Palau was edged by Samoa by just five seconds to finish fourth. Palau finished the race in 1:54. Palau's Tino Faatuuala (2:26.23) finished in fourth place in the V-1 500-meter sprint just two seconds behind third-place finisher Justin Udovch of Guam.