Athletics Cook Islands is ready for another busy year and looks forward to more achievements.

Daniel Tolosa will be competing in Athletics Cook Islands’ first international competition of the year – the World Indoor Championship in Glasgow on March 1.

Awarded the 2023 Track Athlete of the Year for his performance at the Pacific Games in Honiara, Tolosa impressed by reaching the 100 metres and 200m semi-finals, setting new personal bests, and chasing down the Cook Islands record with a new national mark of 3:28.74 in the 4x400 metres relay.

Previously, in 2019, he reached the 100m semi-finals at the New Zealand Secondary Schools Athletic Champs before unfortunately fracturing his toes and missing the finals.

Dedication to training saw him achieve personal bests in the 100m and 200m at the 2022 Oceania Athletics Championships, his first international outing, while also contributing to the Cook Islands youth team’s bronze medal in the 4x100m relay.

Athletics president Simone Fe’ao previously identified Tolosa as an athlete to watch for the future.

Preparations are also underway for the World Cross Country Championship in Belgrade, Serbia, on March 30.

Fe’ao said trials have been completed, and the selected male and female athletes will be announced soon.

Last year, Andrew Logan and Maya Postrzygacz represented Cook Islands at the event held in Bathurst, Australia.

Fe’ao emphasised continued development of local talent, coaching, and officials.

Participation in local events, preparation for the June 2024 Oceania Champs in Suva, Fiji, and hosting the World Kids Athletics Day on May 7 are all on the agenda.

“We hope to build on the momentum we have from the Pacific Games and get some great results at Oceania Champs.”

Following their 2023 Global Challenge win, Athletics Cook Islands aims to involve even more islands in the World Kids Athletics Day.

“We will be reaching out to the Pa Enua with more details.

“Our 2024 focus is to build up our infrastructure–development programmes, coaching team, qualified officials, and administrative systems so that we can grow to a new level.”

Athletics Cook Islands invites anyone interested in participating as an athlete, official, or coach to get in touch.