PNG ATHLETICS TEAM READY FOR WF MINI GAMES

ATHLETICS PNG has named a final team of 22 male and 16 female athletes to the forthcoming Pacific Mini Games in Wallis and Futuna. The track and field athletic competition will be held over four days from Sept 3 to 6.

The team is a blend of experienced and younger athletes being developed for the 2015 Games and includes 22 athletes who competed at the 2011 Games in Noumea and nine from the 2007 Games.

The medal hunt will be spearheaded by elite athletes Toea Wisil, Mowen Boino, Betty Burua and Nelson Stone, who were all gold medallists in Noumea 2011 Pacific Games.  

Photo: Top PNG sprinter Toea Wisil (centre) in action at the 2012 London Olympics. She will lead the PNG girls in athletics in the Wallis and Futuna Games. (Pic from www.toeawisil.com)

Apart from the established elite athletes, there are four female and five male athletes selected to represent their country for the first time. The girls are Rellie Kaputin and Annie Topal from East New Britain for the jumps and for the long distance events Monica Miugle and Maryanna Peter from Chimbu.

First timers in the men’s team are Kaminiel Matlaun (East New Britain)  for the 400m and 800m ;  Manuai Kenas (Port Moresby)  and Raymond Koniel (New Ireland) for the 400m hurdles; Ben Levi  from Wabag for the jumps and Solomon Susame (Wewak) as reserve for the men’s 4x100m relay team .

Athletics PNG President Tony Green said this would be the largest PNG Athletic team ever to attend an international event, surpassing the 33-member team that attended the 1993 Games in Vanuatu.

“We have done our best to prepare the athletes in difficult circumstances”, Green said, indicating that more resources needed to be pumped into the sport if the teams were going to meet the high expectations for 2015.

Team officials will be Sophia Marai as Manageress,   John Baining as Head Coach and Sprints assisted by Subul Babo (sprints); Bernard Manau (men’s distance); Paul Komba  (women's distance); and Sandy Katusele (jumps).

Toea Wisil and Mowen Boino head to Moscow on Sunday evening for the IAAF World Championships which will be held from Aug 10 to 18.

The pair qualified for the Championships by winning their respective events at the Oceania Championships in Papeete, Tahiti, early in June this year.  Vanuatu-based Boino produced an outstanding performance of 51.97s to win the 400m hurdles event which was his first race since July 2012 when he was in the UK in the build up to the Olympics.

Since winning the Australian 100m title in April, Wisil has been training in Brisbane but with the Australian season over and most of the top athletes in Europe, there has not been much good competition.

Following the World Championships, Wisil will return to Brisbane to continue her preparations for the Pacific Mini Games, whereas Boino will come to Port Moresby for his final preparations. 

- From The National, Aug 1, 2013.