Winzar Kakiouea

Winzar Jedidiah Shadrack Kakiouea (born 30 April 2001) is a Nauruan sprinter. He qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics and was the only Nauruan selected.

Biography Kakiouea was born on 30 April 2001 in Nauru. He is of the Iruwa tribe. Nauru, with a population of around 10,000, is the world's third-smallest country and does not have a single racetrack, only what Kakiouea called a "dirt oval". He grew up in the country and won a national powerlifting competition, also being one of Nauru's top Australian rules football players, although he told The New York Times his accomplishments were "not so impressive. Nauru is very small." He also participated in the 100 metres at the 2019 Oceania Athletics Championships, placing fourth. Later that year, he competed at the Pacific Games in three events, winning a bronze medal in the 100m.

In June 2024, Kakiouea participated at the 2024 Micronesian Games and won four medals—three gold and one bronze. The following month, he received a universality selection to compete for Nauru at the 2024 Summer Olympics, being the only Nauruan chosen. At the time, he had a world ranking of 3,701. As the only Nauruan at the games, he served as the nation's flag bearer at the opening ceremony, joined by his coach and two team officials.