By JAMES KILA
THE country’s distance-running sensation, Sapolai Yao and Pacific Games gold medalist Poro Gahekave will be leading the reigning champions ‘Team Eastern Highlands’ to this year’s PNG Games in Lae, Morobe province.
EHP Athletics team manager Philip Kamane in making the announcement last weekend said, both Yao and Gahekave have been named in EHP athletics squad and are currently hard at training in preparation for the games scheduled for November 16-24.
Yao, who hails from Karimui in Simbu province dubbed as ‘gas-bottle’ was in top form when he finished 13th out of 4,00 runners at the recent Melbourne marathon in Australia, while, 14-year old blossoming female athlete Gahekave has been in top form since her return from the Samoa Games.
The pair rose to prominence following their participation at the PNG Grass Roots Games and this time around will be out to prove their worth against fellow athletes from around the country who will be taking part.
Kamane said forty-four athletes making up the athletics team from EHP under the guidance of head-coach Tulee will be traveling to Lae to compete in both track and field events.
“We expect a bold performance from these two prominent athletes currently in our camp,” Kamane said.
He added that another female athlete who will be competing in the distance races is Kelo Idolini.
He said EHP will be banking on the middle and the distance events at the tournament in Lae. This is because the sprints is a specialty for the coastal athletes.
However, he said Team EHP will be banking its hopes on sprinters who are of mixed coastal parentage such as Cedric Darrel, Israel Bunava, Willie Ivan and James Yerekit to battle it out for them.
Kamane said the team would be fielding mainly junior girls for the sprints and these are many primary and high school students. They include Vanessa Potul, Paula Aidan, Vanessa Semra, Michelle John, Cecilia Warigi and Olivia Graham.
In the middle-distance events they will be banking on Cathy Stanley and Erica Mathew.
Kamane said in the track events, especially the long-jump the team has potential athletes in the likes of Robert John and Gaks Sipa who are expected to give good challenge to Sandy Katusele. While, in the female division for the long jump will be Faye Sogavo and Joyleen Yariyari.
He said in the throws, Ismael Chalie will be competing in short-put and Joe Sam in javelin.