Judo to open PNG effort

Normal, Sports
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The National, Wednesday 25th July, 2012

RAYMOND Ovinou will get Papua New Guinea’s Olympic campaign  off and running when he takes the floor for the judo competition.
The 28-year-old will compete in the 66kg division’s elimination round of 64 at 11pm  on Sunday (PNG time) at the ExCel North Arena in London.
He will need to progress through three elimination rounds before making the quarter-finals.
Weightlifter Dika Toua is the next is the next athlete to compete when she takes the stage on Monday for the 53kg women’s competition.
Toua, an experienced lifter and who has been to the last three Olympics –  she first represented the country as a 17-year-old at the Sydney 2000 Olympics – is expected to perform well in what is possibly be her final Games appearance.
Her fellow weightlifting Steven Kari will start his competition in the 85kg division on Aug 3.
Swimmers Ryan Pini (50m butterfly) and Judith Meauri (50m freestyle) will commence their events on Aug 2nd and 3rd respectively.
Pini, who is PNG’s most likely medal contender, has opted to swim in one event in order to put all his efforts to making the final of his favourite event.
He made the final of the 100m butterfly at the Beijing Olympics and the 30-year-old is hoping to repeat the performance in London.
Track duo Toea Wisil (100m) and Nelson Stone (400m) will begin their heats in their events on Aug 3rd and 4th respectively at the Olympic Stadium. Teakwondo’s Theresa Tona will be the last athlete to compete when she takes to the mat on Aug 8.