| Sports |
Madang seek help for youngsters
By JAMES KILA
THE MADANG athletics
desperately needs funding support to prepare as well as sending
a team to the upcoming PNG Games in Lae in November.
The call was made by Fidelis Garapet, manager of the Madang
athletics team to the recent Highlands-Momase regional athletics
championship.
Garapet , his assistant Dickson Majoku and team coach Joe Lai
said that in order to expose raw talents from Madang to the
national scene they need assistance from business houses in the
province as well and the provincial government and the
respective Members of Parliament (MP) in the province.
Garapet said their participation to the championship in Goroka
was from the athletes own pockets and little assistance from the
sports office.
“It was a last minute preparation which made it possible for us
to travel to Goroka. Mind you, most of the costs were met the
athletes’ themselves from their own pockets,” Garapet said.
Madang finished third behind Goroka and Asaroka high school.
The team comprising mostly raw talents did exceptionally well in
the sprints and field events at the championship which girls
like Lillian Turalir and Lydia Timothy scoring good timings in
their field events. Both made it to the finals, finishing second
and third respectively. One of the PNG representative athlete in
the Madang team was Delilah Kami, who won her long jump event
against former medallist Angela Way at the championships. Kami
was also in blistering form in the 200-metres final to win.
“I am confident I can do well next time around and I will be
practicing very hard for the PNG Games,” said 16-year-old
Turalir.
Assistant coach Majoku said one of the ‘best find’ in the Madang
athletics team which they bought to Goroka was Boiros Matarap.
He said Matarap was identified during a district athletics
championship on Karkar Island.
The National witnessed Matarap competing in the 100 metres heat
which he won convincingly. Despite running bare-foot against his
opposition who were in full athletic gear, the raw talent gave
them a strong challenge. The Karkar Islander secured a placing
in the final of the 100 metres and managed to finish second
behind the seasonal athlete from Eastern Highlands Cedric
Darrel.
 
|
