FIVE OFF TO TRAIN IN US

By HENRY MORABANG

FIVE of the nine members of the Papua New Guinea Athletics Union left yesterday for the United States of America under the Oceania Athletics scholarship.

They are Rellie Kaputin, Joe Matmat, Freddy Hongowori, Adrine Monagi, Veherney Babob.

Photo:  Rellie Kaputin (left), Joe Matmat, Freddy Hongowori, Adrine Monagi and Veherney Babob at the Jackson International Airport before their flight to the US. – Nationalpic by JACK AMI

The athletes will join three others who arrived in the US on Monday.

PNG Athletics Union president Tony Green confirmed from Iowa that the three athletes had arrived on Monday night.

Two elite athletes – Toea Wisil and Mowen Boino – took part in the World Championship as their last competition before the Pacific Mini Games.

Sprint queen Wisil ran a good time of 11.61s in the 100m heats but that was not enough to get her through to the semi-final.

Mowen ran an excellent 400m hurdles time of 51.49s in only his second race of the year.

He ran 51.97s in Tahiti in June to win the Oceania area title but being based in Vanuatu he has had no competition opportunities since then. “His performance is very good considering this,” Green said.

- From The National, August 21, 2013