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.
