| Sports |
By WENDY KATUSELE
FOR seventeen-year-old Patricia Harricknen, it is her first ever
major international meet at this week’s World Youth championships
in Ostrava in the Czech Republic – a stepping stone to her
athletics career.
Harricknen and coach Naomi Polum left yesterday for the
championships and though quite nervous the East Sepik/Bougainvillian
lass is set to improve her personal best in the 200 metres - the
event she has been slotted into at the championships.
She aims to improve her Pb of 27.50 seconds come Friday when she
takes the track.
After an impressive performance at the recent national track and
field championships in Lae where she won the 100m and 200m in the
under 18 championships.
Harricknen had taken up racing at the age of 12 but laid off last
year but has made a strong comeback this season after her short
training stint in Brisbane, Australia, with Papua New Guinea’s
elite squad members.
The championships is held every two years - in 2005 PNG was
represented by Toea Wisil and Andrew Yeweh at Marrakesh in
Morocco.
“I am excited looking forward especially my dream of one day
donning the PNG colors and this is the start of more international
events to come,” said the Grade 11 students before her departure.
Harricknen said she was determined to one day become PNG’s sprint
queen.
Coach Naomi Polum spoke highly of her, saying she needed more
training to be one of the country’s best produced sprinters.
“The more help she can get from adequate coaching and with her
parents support she will get there,” Polum said.
 
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