Distance runners making headway

 PAPUA New Guinea’s squad of long distance runners have made a great start to their competition programme in Adelaide, setting numerous personal bests and two national junior records. 

Top performances to date are a sensational 18min 30s run in the 5000m earlier this week by 15-year-old Ongan Awa, taking 15 seconds off the national junior record set by teammate Mary Kua at last year’s PNG Games. 

Kua herself was in great form three days earlier when she  smashed her own national junior record in the 10,000m by almost a full minute and became only the second woman in PNG athletics history to run the distance in under 40 minutes. 

Her time of 39min 57s would have ranked Kua second in the Pacific last year, behind Sharon Firisua from Solomon Islands, who headed the rankings with a time of 39min 6s run at the Commonwealth Games. 

With Ongan Awa and Miriam Goiye both running under 40min 30s in Adelaide, the PNG squad will be optimistic of closing the gap that has existed at the Pacific Games for many years between athletes from the French Territories and PNG.

In the men’s races, Simbai Kaspar continued the great form that he showed in Goroka prior to departure, with a string of personal bests in the 3000m (9min 7s); 5000m (15min 49s); and 10000m (33min 3s). 

Skene Kiage had a good result in his first race in the 3000m steeplechase, clocking 9min 57s. 

Several other members of the squad are expected to join the group in Adelaide as soon as their travel documentation is in order. 

They include middle distance runners George Yamak, Martin Orovo, Tuna Tine, Bala Nicholas, Abel Siune and Rama Kumilgo.