Cook Islands targets 12 athletes for Oceania Championships

Cook Islands aims to send at least 12 athletes to the 2026 Oceania Area Championships to be held in Darwin, Australia in May.

Athletics Cook Islands president Simone Fe'ao told RNZ Pacific from Rarotonga that local athletes interested to represent Cook Islands would need to attend the final trial on Saturday, 19 March (Sunday NZT).

"This is the final trial opportunity. "We have recently had a team of 16 athletes compete at the Polynesian Champs in Auckland which we used as a trial as well," Fe'ao said.

"We are expecting to send at least 12 athletes and three team coach/managers. We are also sending two technical officials to gain more experience in this area."

Funding for the trip has come through "the funding support of athlete families, World Athletics and Oceania Athletics".

There are a number of New Zealand-based athletes also included in the travelling squad.

That will include high jumper Samasoni Hewitt, hurdler Max Teuruaa, Piri Nga in the long jump, Estelle Short and Daniel Tolosa in the 100 metre events, discus thrower Ana Ellison-Lupena and Senira Hewitt, who will compete in shotput.

Hewitt was previously a New Zealand under-20 champion in high jump and won gold at the Pacific Mini Games 2025 in Palau and at the recent Polynesian Champs in Auckland.

Short is currently competing at the World Indoors, running in the 60 metres. She won bronze in the 100m at the Polynesian Champs.

Teuruaa is a decathlete, who is competing in the New Zealand combined events championship this weekend.

He won a gold medal in the 110 metre hurdle and pole vault at the Polynesian Champs in Auckland, and set a new Cook Islands record in the 110m hurdle.

He is also the current national champion in pole vault.

Meanwhile, Athletics New Zealand has confirmed they are sending 157 athletes to the Oceania meet, to compete across the Under-18s, Senior and Para categories.

Athletics NZ said sprint star Zoe Hobbs, the fastest woman in Oceania and the first from the region to break 11 seconds for 100m, arrives off a string of major championship appearances, and having just secured her 10th national 100m title.

New Zealand's national javelin record holder Tori Moorby adds real firepower, having represented New Zealand at both the 2024 Olympics and the 2025 World Championships and delivering multiple Diamond League podiums across recent seasons.

She is joined in the throws arena by Lauren Bruce, who's back in top form in 2026.

Athletics Fiji has also held trials over the past month, with selection also expected to come out of the current school's inter-zone meets being held in Suva and the upcoming Fiji National Athletics Championships scheduled for Suva on 3-4 April.