Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Tahiti's Teimoana Taputu claimed the first gold medal at the 2025 Pacific Mini Games in Palau, taking out the V1 500 metres open men's final in va'a (outrigger) racing.

His win also opened the campaign for gold by the French territory, which ended day one with 18 medals and leading the medal tally.

Tahiti leads the tally with nine gold, seven silver and two bronze.

Marshall Islands and Northern Marianas were also on the medal tally with their own golden wins.

Samoa's Anne Cairns claimed her country's first gold medal with a winning performance in the women's V1 500 meters final.

She finished the race in 2 minutes 36.29 seconds, ahead of Fiji's Elenoa Vateitei and Tahiti's Ranitea Mamatu'i.

Samoa secured their first medal of the games  with an impressive 4:01.31 in swimming — the 4x 100m Women’s Freestyle Relay — earning them a well deserved bronze. Nafanua Hamilton, age 15, is the youngest of the four Samoa juniors competing and was a part of the relay team.

American Samoa has so far garnered 3 silver medals and one bronze.

Rain caused the cancellation of the baseball competition, with clashes between Fiji and the Federated State of Micronesia plus the game between Palau and NMI, in the men's competition, both rained out.