Mini games features dual national athletes

Netball was the centre of attention during the second week of the Pacific Mini Games.

It is a discipline that celebrates the strength and athleticism of women in sport.

While PNG Pepes won the gold medal at the VAN2017 Games, netball featured two dual national athletes from Vanuatu.

Meriel Kenni and Selina Solman are both Vanuatu national cricketers who made their debut in the national netball team, making them two of the few athletes from Vanuatu who are dual-national sport representatives.

Both women, who are of Tannese descent, hold leadership roles in the two respective sports with Solman as the captain of the national women’s cricket team and Kenni as the national netball captain.

Kenni led the netball team into this Games, which proved a challenge as they faced off against some of the more highly ranked netball teams in the Pacific, starting with our very own PNG Pepes.

Team Vanuatu lost all its matches but not without a fight and Kenni said she could not be more proud of the team because all the women played to the best of their abilities.

Playing one sport discipline at the national level takes a large amount of skill and commitment but being a dual national player requires even greater skill, determination, commitment and maturity.

Vanuatu national netball coach Vanessa Laloyer underlined the fact both women possess these characteristics and they all look forward to what the new year holds for Vanuatu netball and cricket.

(Meriel Kenni, right, and Selina Solman, right, during the Games – Picture: Van2017)

Author: 
Sophie Yaruso