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DARWIN - Northern Marianas runner Landen Taflinger said his record-setting silver medal run in the Men's Under 20 800 meters at the Oceania Athletics Championships went better than he expected, and he is already turning his focus to a 1500-meter race on Friday.

"We went out a little bit too fast personally, but I held on to it and got PR and national record, which is good," Taflinger said in an interview with NMI News Service on Thursday. "I went way faster than I thought I would, honestly, but it was good."

Taflinger's previous personal best in the 800 was 2 minutes, 9 seconds. His Thursday time of 2:05.70 cut nearly four seconds off that mark and now stands as the new NMI national record in the event.

Although the official heat sheet listed Taflinger in third place behind Mason Walker of Team Hawai'i Athletics and Rynier Di Ramos of Guam, Taflinger said the Hawai'i team competes on an invitational basis, which does not affect local placements. Di Ramos took gold and Taflinger took silver in the Oceania standings.

"The Hawaii teams, they are invitational," Taflinger said. "So they don't push any of the people down in places."

The Under 16 and Under 20 fields were combined on the track to save time, Taflinger said. He pushed through a crowded finish, working past a runner from New South Wales.

"I wanted to catch him," Taflinger said. "He's eighth grade. He's very fast though. So yeah, there was a lot of great talent out there."

Asked about racing in Darwin's heat, Taflinger said the conditions were tough but manageable.

"It's very, very hot, but it's been feeling good," he said.

Taflinger races again Friday in the 1500 meters. His personal best in that event is 4 minutes, 39 seconds, a time he set a year ago.

"I don't have a specific time goal, just to get top three for that most likely," he said.

His preparation between races is straightforward, he said. "Just good sleep, eat healthy, basically. That's it."

Taflinger thanked his mother and his coaches for the opportunity to represent the island at the championships.

The Oceania Athletics Championships are running May 18 through 23 at the Marrara Sports Complex in Darwin, Australia.

SILVER for the NMI! Simon Tang took second in the Men's U20 400m hurdles at the Oceania Athletics Championships in Darwin Thursday, finishing in 57.43 behind Tonga's Mounga Leao.

CNMI national record holder Tania Tan ran 4:55.79 in the women's senior 1,500 at the Oceania Athletics Championships in Darwin Tuesday, finishing a quarter second off the NMI record she set at UCLA in March.

Saipan's Addalee Taflinger ran a personal-best 5:28.32 in the U18 1,500 meters at the Oceania Athletics Championships in Darwin Tuesday, two seconds faster than her previous mark. She trained indoors and behind the airport after Sinlaku damaged Beach Road and the Oleai Track.

SAIPAN - CNMI distance runner Addalee Taflinger turned in a personal-best 5:28.32 in the women's under-18 1,500 meters at the Oceania Athletics Championships in Darwin, Australia, Tuesday, trimming two seconds from her previous time after a training stretch disrupted by Super Typhoon Sinlaku.

Taflinger, 16, finished sixth in a six-runner field that included three Australians and three New Zealanders. The race was won by Australia's Zoe St John in 4:34.78. The personal best came one day after Taflinger ran the 800 meters Monday at the same championships, which run May 18 through 23.

"The race felt really good," Taflinger told NMI News Service in a video call from Darwin shortly after finishing. "I feel like training, I wasn't as prepared as I wanted to be, but when I was running it kind of just all faded. I pushed myself and I'm proud of what I did."

Training looked different for Taflinger in the weeks leading up to the meet. With Beach Road and the Oleai Track both damaged by Super Typhoon Sinlaku, she shifted indoor and into the gym, working leg machines and adding shorter runs behind the airport.

"After that typhoon, like, it was nice, like, passing out stuff and, like, helping the community," she said, referring to relief distributions her family participated in through their church. "But training did look different after the typhoon."

Taflinger said the conditions in Darwin presented their own adjustments. The Australian heat is more intense than what she trains in at home, though less humid. Races also run at different times of the day than the late afternoon schedule she is used to on Saipan.

The 1,500 was her last event of the championships. She said she plans to stay through the week to cheer on the rest of the CNMI delegation. Taflinger said she came away from the race with a clearer sense of what the top under-18 distance runners in the region are doing to be competitive.

"I was asking what they're training with, and they just put in a lot of time and dedication to running," she said. "They run, like, eight times per week, and they do a lot of other training other than running. When I come back, I'm going to try and get that mindset so I can improve my time."

Taflinger thanked her parents for supporting her training and travel. "I just want to thank my parents for always, like, taking me places to go run and train and stuff, and to pushing me when I'm there competing," she said.

The Oceania Athletics Championships run through Saturday in Darwin, with additional CNMI athletes still scheduled to compete in their events.

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