In preparation for the upcoming Micronesian Games in the Marshall Islands, our wrestling team has been training very hard. With only a few athletes taking part in the games, our team has been practicing twice a day in preparation for the competition. In doing so, we were able to have Ms. Kaede Matsuyama, female wrestler, from Japan and a female coach, Ms. Kotone Narikuni, come to Palau and assist Palau’s wrestling team in their preparations to the Micronesian Games. Kaede has been the training partner for Uilau Ilebrang Tarkong and Kaede will return back to Japan where she will continue to attend Hosei University and compete in Japan while Kotone will travel with the team to the Marshall Islands for the competition. Kotone’s mother and brother are both world champions as well and Kotone coaches her club back in Japan. As Palau’s wrestling team prepares for the Micro Games, we hope to continue such training in preparation for the 2025 Pacific Games next year in Palau by hosting and doing exchanges with teams from Japan, Taiwan and possibly other countries.
Our wrestling team would like to give special thanks to our sponsors and Palau NOC for their continued support in hosting Kotone and Narikuni in Palau and our preparations for the games.