Five to tune up at track classic

FIVE members of the Papua New Guinea athletics team preparing for the Commonwealth Games will have their last lead-up competition tomorrow at the Queensland International Track Classic at the state athletic facility in Brisbane.
Debono Paraka, Theo Piniau, Adrine Monagi, Peniel Richard and Nazmie Lee Marai will all be in action at Australia’s biggest meet of the year.
A number of big-name Commonwealth Games athletes will also be competing including top British sprinters Adam Gemili and Dina Asher Smith, Jamaicans Elaine Thompson and Yohan Blake; and a number of top Botswanan sprinters.
PNG’s Ephraim Lerkin, who has been looking sharp at training and was really looking forward to racing tomorrow has withdrawn as a result of a sore knee.
Coach Phillip Newton took Lerkin to a physiotherapist right away and was told it was not nothing serious but the inflammation needed a few days to settle down.
Discus thrower Paraka will be hoping for better conditions than he has experienced in several recent competitions where bad weather has hampered his efforts to further improve on the national record of 51.00m he set in January.
Peniel Richard will be taking part in a mixed triple jump competition featuring a small but high quality field.
Adrine Monagi, who flew to Port Moresby on 20 February after clocking an outstanding personal best of 13.89secs in the 100m hurdles at the Australian Championships returned to Brisbane last week for her final preparations for the Games.
Piniau will contest the 200m while Marai will run both the 100m and 200m.
Veteran hurdler Mowen Boino opted not to compete this week and focus on running at the Games.
Para athlete Samuel Nason travels with the main contingent from Port Moresby this week. The three US-based athletes Wesley Logorava, Rellie Kaputin and Afure Adah will all fly into Brisbane next week. Logorava has been showing good form lately, running a wind assisted 10.64secs in the 100m and 21.47 in the 200m.