Sike makes sparks fly

By TONY PALME
TWENTY year old Junior Sike, a hulky youngster from Tolu Point in Jiwaka, is passionate about sports and education.
Having received an electrical certificate from the Highlands Youth Training and Rehabilitation College last month, the young man is now looking for a job that will blend his electrical skills with sports – an area that he has built his life around since the age 12.
Sike is a weights and powerlifter and has competed in national and international events where he has noticed or experienced electrical problems.  He says he now stands a better chance to fix or help with these problems should they occur at any further events he attends.
He also has his eye fixed on a job with the defence force where he hopes to become a fitness instructor.
Sike represented Team Jiwaka at the PNG Games in 2012 in Kokopo, again in Lae in 2014, and participated at the 2015 Pacific Games in Port Moresby, in weights and powerlifting.
The 185cm, 95kg bloke is looking to make it to greater heights in his sport.
He was recognised by PNG athletics coach Tony Green and PNG Olympic Committee chairman John Dawanicura at an early age, and was taken on to train at some of the best facilities in the country and overseas, including Tonga and Fiji.
“I still have high hopes that a door will open for me in sports. I am still young and now with my certificate in electronics, this is an extra bonus,” he said. Sike won gold, silver and bronze medals in the national championships in Lae in 2012.
“I have tried rugby, javelin, shot put, and discus but they did not suit me. So now in weights, I feel comfortable.”
“I always discipline myself. I never smoke and chew (betel nut). I always want to maintain my form and stay fit.”
While at home in Jiwaka, Sike does not work out at a training facility but he manages to keep his body toned by running, as well as lifting large stones, weighing around 80kgs, at Wara Binz. He doesn’t feel well if he misses out on training for more than two days, he says.
Sike is the eldest in a family of four kids, who live with their grandmother at Tolu Point of the Tsenglap tribe in North Waghi. His mother died last year and his father died while he was an infant.
He is related to Pacific sprint queen Toea Wisil, who he said is his inspiration. Swimming sensation Ryan Pini is also his role model.
He advises young people to take good care of their health.
“Always aim high because the sky is the limit. You fail yourself if you think you can’t,” Sike said with a grin.
“I have no mother so I have no interest in girls. My priority is sports. I will keep on pushing until I become a professional amateur one day.”
The secret to his solid, muscular feature is the hours he puts into training, his diet of kaukau and cold water, and having enough sleep.