Kaputin eyes Olympics

QUALIFYING next year for the Tokyo Olympics is the main goal for jumper Rellie Kaputin when she leaves tomorrow for a training stint on the Gold Coast.
Kaputin, the Pacific Games champion and women’s national record holder in the long (6.27m), triple (13.28m) and high (1.77m) jumps said she would initially be focusing on the Apia Games in July but her long term goal was to build up form in order to qualify for the 2020 Olympics.
“I’m going down to the Gold Coast on Friday and I’ll be training under coach Phillip Newton until the Pacific Games,” Kaputin said.
“I won three gold medals at the last Pacific Games and broke three national records. Obviously, my short term goal is to do well at the Pacific Games in Samoa but next year I want to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics.”
The 26-year-old’s last competitive meet was the national trials in Kimbe, West New Britain, last month where she was the only elite competitor in the women’s jumps.
“My last competition was at the national trials in Kimbe last month where I competed against local talent. I was giving competition to the younger ones and I guess they were giving me competition so it was good.”
Kaputin said she was not discounting the Pacific Games as it would be the first of two major events – the other being the World Championships in Qatar in August – she would try to win the Oceania Championship to qualify to go to Qatar.
“I’m aiming to qualify for the long jump at the Olympics and the qualifying mark is 6.75m and my personal best is 6.53m so I think I can reach that mark next year with a solid preparation.” Kaputin jumped a wind-assisted 6.53m at an NCAA Division Two national meet in Florida in 2017 and before that recorded another wind-assisted long jump of 6.41m.
Athletics PNG president Tony Green said Kaputin had shown she can jump over 6.50m so for someone like Rellie who has shown many times that she can set goals and achieve them, qualifying for the Olympics is certainly possible.
Kaputin is also expected to compete in a couple of meets in Asia late May and early June and details were being worked on for this
The East New Briton, who has a degree in business management from West Texas A&M University, said she would love to give back to Athletics PNG at the end of her career but presently her goal was to qualify for an Olympics.
“It would mean a lot for me to qualify for the Olympics,” Kaputin said.
“Just jumping 6.75m would be amazing.
“Not many Papua New Guinean athletes have gone to an Olympics so it would be something I want to achieve before I retire.”