Auckland-based sprinter Marielle Venida battled through a back muscle injury to secure third place in her heat in the senior women’s 100-meter sprint semifinals on Wednesday at the 2024 Oceania Championships in Suva, Fiji.
Venida clocked in at 11.88 seconds, trailing behind top heat qualifiers Ebony Lane (11.55) and Brooke Sommerfeld (11.82).
“I would say that with my condition, it went okay, but I was not happy with the times. I did the best I could. But I feel like it was my back that slowed me down, and I think I need to work on my starts and my finish,” Venida said as she advanced to the finals.
The 18-year-old Venida had earlier posted a time of 11.85 seconds, placing second in the first-round heats on Tuesday. An accounting student, Venida has recently shown performances that are reminiscent of Philippine track legend Lydia de Vega.
“The race was alright. I didn’t really feel my best going into the race, but I did as good as I could in the moment. Hopefully, tomorrow will be a lot better,” said Venida in an interview with the Manila Standard before competing in the semifinals.
Venida recently won the women’s under-20 100-meter sprint at the ICTSI-Philippine Athletic Championships, clocking in at 11.65 seconds.
Despite her current challenges, Venida’s resilience and determination continue to shine, indicating a promising future in athletics.
