American Samoa at the 2024 Summer Olympics

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American Samoa at the
2024 Summer Olympics
Flag of American Samoa.svg
Flag of American Samoa
IOC code ASA
NOC American Samoa National Olympic Committee
Website https://asnoc.org
in Paris, France
July 24 – August 11, 2024
Competitors2 (1 man and 1 woman) in 2 sports
Flag bearer Filomenaleonisa Iakopo & Micah Masei
Medals
Gold
0
Silver
0
Bronze
0
Total
0
Summer Olympics appearances (overview)
← 2020
2028→

American Samoa competed at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France, which were held from July 26 to August 11, 2024. The territory's participation in Paris marked its tenth appearance at the Summer Olympics since its debut in 1988. The athlete delegation of the country was composed of two people: Filomenaleonisa Iakopo in athletics and Micah Masei in swimming. Iakopo and Masei were the flagbearers for the territory at the opening ceremony while Iakopo solely held it at the closing ceremony.

Contents

Iakopo and Masei qualified after receiving universality slots in their events. Masei first competed for the territory, competing in the men's 100 meter breaststroke but did not progress further after not finishing with a fast enough time. Iakopo then competed in the women's 100 meters and also did not progress further after not finishing with a fast enough time, though set a national record in the event. Thus, America Samoa has yet to win an Olympic medal.

Background

The games were held from July 26 to August 11, 2024, in the city of Paris, France. [1] This edition marked the territory's tenth appearance at the Summer Olympics since its debut at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. The nation had never won a medal at the Olympics, with its best performance coming from boxer Maselino Masoe placing joint fifth in the men's light middleweight event at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. [2]

Delegation

The American Samoan delegation was composed of nine people. They landed in Paris on July 14, 2024. [3] The officials present at the games were chef de mission Joseph Ioane, American Samoa National Olympic Committee (ASNOC) president Ed Imo, and ASNOC general secretary Ethan Lake. Two athletes qualified for the games, swimmer Micah Masei, who was coached by Cassandra Bess Lund, and Filomenaleonisa Iakopo, who was coached by Priscilla Iakopo, who is also her mother. [4] Imo's and Lake's wives were also part of the delegation. [5]

Opening and closing ceremonies

The American Samoan delegation came in 162nd out of the 205 National Olympic Committees in the 2024 Summer Olympics Parade of Nations within the opening ceremony. Iakopo and Masei held the flag for the delegation. [6] They were also accompanied by Ioane, Lund, and Priscilla Iakopo. [4] At the closing ceremony, Iakopo held the flag. [7]

Competitors

List of American Samoan competitors at the 2024 Summer Olympics
SportMenWomenTotal
Athletics 011
Swimming 101
Total112

Athletics

Qualification and lead-up to the games

The Stade de France, where Iakopo competed in her event Stade de France 5 August 2024.jpg
The Stade de France, where Iakopo competed in her event

American Samoa was eligible for a universality slot to send an athletics competitor to the games, which allows a National Olympic Committee (NOC) to send athletes despite not meeting the standard qualification criteria. [8] The American Samoa Track & Field Association selected sprinter Filomenaleonisa Iakopo, after she competed in numerous qualifying competitions and achieved times needed for selection. Iakopo is originally from the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) though represented American Samoa as her father, US Air Force veteran Stanley Iakopo, was born in American Samoa and due to the fact that the CNMI does not have a recognized National Olympic Committee, stating mixed feelings for her participation though expressed it as an opportunity to represent Pacific Islanders on a "global stage". [5] [9]

The lead-up to the games saw Iakopo compete at the 2022 Oceania Athletics Championships, her debut international competition, followed by the 2022 Pacific Mini Games, 2023 Oceania Athletics Cup, 2023 Pacific Games, 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships, and 2024 Oceania Athletics Championships. She also held the national records in the 100 and 200 meters. [9] As the territory does not have a proper track, she stated that she trained on various surfaces such as sand, grass, and concrete. [10] Before the games, Iakopo aimed to beat her personal best of 12.83 seconds and advance to the heats of Round 1 by placing in the top three of her preliminary heat. [5]

Event

The athletics events were held at the Stade de France. Making her Olympic debut, Iakopo competed in the preliminaries of the women's 100 meters on 2 August 2024 at 10:43 a.m., where she raced in the second heat and ran in a time of 12.78 seconds for a new national record and personal best. She placed eighth out of the nine people in her heat and did not advance further. After competing, she became the first Chamorro person from the CMNI to compete at the Olympic Games. She stated that she was satisfied with her result, citing her personal best and national record-breaking times that were set at her Olympic debut. [11] [12] The eventual winner of the event was Julien Alfred of Saint Lucia, who won in a time of 10.72 for Saint Lucia's first Olympic medal. [13]

Key
  • Note–Ranks given for track events are within the athlete's heat only
  • Q = Qualified for the next round
  • q = Qualified for the next round as a fastest loser or, in field events, by position without achieving the qualifying target
  • NR = National record
  • N/A = Round not applicable for the event
  • Bye = Athlete not required to compete in round

Track and road events

Athletics summary
AthleteEventPreliminaryHeatRepechageSemifinalFinal
TimeRankTimeRankTimeRankTimeRankTimeRank
Filomenaleonisa Iakopo Women's 100 m 12.78 NR 8Did not advance—Did not advance

Swimming

Qualification and lead-up to the games

The Paris La Defense Arena on the day of Masei's event 2024 Swimming at the 2024 Summer Olympics - 2024-07-27 - 3.jpg
The Paris La Défense Arena on the day of Masei's event

American Samoa was eligible for a universality slot to send a swimmer to the games. [8] The nation selected national record holder Micah Masei. [14] Masei grew up in Oregon though represented American Samoa through his grandfather, Mataiaau Masei, who was born in the territory but moved to the mainland United States for work. [15] Micah Masei also competed at the last Summer Games held in Tokyo, Japan, where he competed in the men's 100 meter breaststroke and placed first in his heat, not advancing further. [16] After the games in Tokyo, he took a break from swimming for 18 months to pursue a master's degree in finance at the University of Hawai'i. He resumed training for the sport on February 2023, training without the use of a swimming pool. [3] [15]

The lead-up to the games saw Masei compete at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships, 2023 Pacific Games, where he earned silver and bronze in the 100 and 50 meter breaststroke respectively, 2024 World Aquatics Championships, and 2024 Oceania Swimming Championships, where he earned silver in the 50 meter breaststroke and set a national record in the 100 meter breaststroke with 1:04.64 for the gold medal. [15] Prior to the games, he trained in a camp in Divonne-les-Bains for ten days, with him praising the camp's location and the athletes who trained there alongside him. [3]

Event

The swimming events were held at the Paris La Défense Arena. Masei competed in the heats of the men's 100 meter breaststroke on 27 July 2024 at 11:30 a.m. in the first heat. He finished with a time of 1:05.95 and placed third in his heat. He did not progress further and placed 34th out of the 36 competitors that competed. [17] [18] After he competed, he stated that his reason for competing is because of the support he receives from his family; his sister was in the stands of the arena during his competition. [19] The eventual winner of the event was Nicolò Martinenghi of Italy who won in a time of 59.03 seconds. [20]

Swimming summary
AthleteEventHeatSemifinalFinal
TimeRankTimeRankTimeRank
Micah Masei Men's 100 m breaststroke 1:05.9534Did not advance

See also

References

  1. ↑ Jenkins, Keith (July 25, 2024). "2024 Summer Olympics FAQ: Dates, locations, new sports, more". ESPN . Archived from the original on July 31, 2024. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
  2. ↑ "American Samoa Overview". Olympedia . Archived from the original on February 3, 2025. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 "Swimmer Micah Masei to compete in Paris Olympics". Talanei. July 17, 2024. Archived from the original on July 18, 2024. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
  4. 1 2 "American Samoa at the Paris Olympic Games". Talanei. July 26, 2024. Archived from the original on July 29, 2024. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
  5. 1 2 3 Rabago, Mark (August 2, 2024). "Iakopo to compete today in Paris Olympics". Saipan Tribune . Archived from the original on March 7, 2025. Retrieved March 7, 2025.
  6. ↑ "Paris 2024 Opening ceremony flagbearers information" (PDF). International Olympic Committee . Archived (PDF) from the original on July 26, 2024. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
  7. ↑ Braidwood, James. "Every Olympic flagbearer for Paris 2024 closing ceremony including Alex Yee and Katie Ledecky". The Independent . Archived from the original on August 11, 2024.
  8. 1 2 Nelsen, Matthew (May 10, 2024). "What Are Universality Places And Who Can Obtain One?". International Olympic Committee . Archived from the original on June 19, 2024. Retrieved June 19, 2024.
  9. 1 2 Rabago, Mark (July 9, 2024). "Chamorro-Samoan sprinter Filomenaleonisa Iakopo to fly American Samoa flag at Paris Olympics". Radio New Zealand . Archived from the original on August 3, 2024. Retrieved March 7, 2025.
  10. ↑ Liew, Jonathan (August 2, 2024). "These are the slowest fastest women on Earth. And they have a story to tell". The Guardian . Archived from the original on February 18, 2025. Retrieved March 7, 2025.
  11. ↑ "Women's 100m Preliminary Round - Heat 2/4" (PDF). Paris Organising Committee for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games . August 2, 2024. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 16, 2024. Retrieved March 7, 2025.
  12. ↑ Sablan Jr., James (August 5, 2024). "Iakopo sets new national record for American Samoa". Marianas Variety . Archived from the original on March 7, 2025. Retrieved March 7, 2025.
  13. ↑ Grief, Andrew (August 3, 2024). "Sha'Carri Richardson takes second in women's 100-meter as Julien Alfred wins first-ever gold for Saint Lucia". NBC Sports . Archived from the original on December 29, 2024. Retrieved March 7, 2025.
  14. ↑ "Entries list - Swimming" (PDF). World Aquatics . Archived (PDF) from the original on February 12, 2025. Retrieved March 7, 2025– via SwimSwam.
  15. 1 2 3 Abrahamson, Alan (July 27, 2024). "Olympics are about hopes and dreams. Second to last in men's 100 breast. And grateful". 3 Wire Sports. Archived from the original on December 6, 2024. Retrieved March 7, 2025.
  16. ↑ "Men's 100m Breaststroke Heats" (PDF). Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games . July 24, 2021. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 22, 2021. Retrieved March 7, 2025.
  17. ↑ "Men's 100m Breaststroke Heat 1" (PDF). Paris Organising Committee for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games . July 27, 2024. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 15, 2024. Retrieved March 7, 2025.
  18. ↑ "Men's 100m Breaststroke Heats" (PDF). Paris Organising Committee for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games . July 27, 2024. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 15, 2024. Retrieved March 7, 2025.
  19. ↑ Salalo, Sereana (July 28, 2024). "Family Fuels Micah's Olympic Drive". Oceania National Olympic Committees . PacNews. Archived from the original on March 7, 2025. Retrieved March 7, 2025.
  20. ↑ Wade, Stephen (July 29, 2024). "Martinenghi races from the shadows in Paris Olympics to beat Peaty and Qin in the 100 breaststroke". Associated Press . Archived from the original on October 21, 2024. Retrieved March 7, 2025.
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