Juniors to burn tracks

A NUMBER of PNG’s top junior sprinters are heading to Port Moresby this weekend for some much-needed competition on the only usable synthetic track in the country.
Damien Kotou is set to become the first athlete from Manus to represent PNG in athletics since Lyn Pokou at the 1995 South Pacific Games after a strong showing in Port Moresby during the recent school holidays.
Kotou has attracted the attention of Athletics PNG as a result of consistent performances in the last couple of years and an impressive showing at the January training camp at NSI.
“Damien has been well-supported by the Manus division of education, thanks to the efforts of his coach and mentor Sylvester Kitemong from Lombrum Primary School,” Athletics PNG secretary Philip Rehder said.
He will however face his strongest test yet in the 200m, with Lae-based Emmanuel Wanga and Kokopo’s Leeroy Kamau both making the trip to Port Moresby, as well as David Guka and other Port Moresby-based athletes in good form. Nineteen-year-old Ephraim Lerkin, who was Papua New Guinea’s top junior athlete in 2016, will run the 400m on Sunday afternoon with Mowen Boino, who arrives in the country from Port Vila on Friday.
Boino will be keen to get in some hurdles practice over the next couple of weeks before heading to Thailand on June 12 and then the Oceania Championships in Fiji at the end of June.
Sunday’s 400m promises to be a very strong race with Wanga, Kotou, Guka and the fast improving Morgan Tobeno, who has the fastest time in Port Moresby this year at 49.9 secs.
The usual Port Moresby competition will be held on Saturday afternoon starting at 1pm .
Sunday’s programme will only be for the open and Under-20 men’s sprinters, with just the 100m and 400m events.
Pacific Games representatives in the throwing events, Debono Paraka and Jacklyn Travertz, are both expected to be in action this weekend. Promising youngster Roland Hure is expected to feature in the high jump.