Kaputin logging record jumps

 PACIFIC Games triple gold medallist in the women’s jumps, Rellie Kaputin, has started her season just where she left off last year and has become the first Papua New Guinean woman to long jump over six metres. 

Kaputin, who set national records in the high jump, triple jump and long jump at the Pacific Games, winning all three events, started this year’s season by breaking the West Texas A&M University records for long jump and triple jump with performances of 5.96m and 12.63m respectively, both of which were just shy of her national records of 5.97m and 12.65m. 

On Saturday in Canyon, Kaputin recorded a best leap of 6.04m. 

“It won’t count as a national record because the following wind was 3.8 metres per second but this gives Rellie the confidence to aim higher,” Athletics PNG President Tony Green said. 

“Her goal this year is to make an impression at the NCAA Division Two National Championships in Florida, which will be staged at the end of next month.”

Meanwhile, Adrine Monagi continues to improve and recorded her best heptathlon score in San Angelo last weekend, amassing 5021 points over the seven events. 

“Although this is slightly better than Iammo Launa’s national record set at the 1991 Pacific Games, the score is invalid for record purposes because the 200m, long jump and the 100m hurdles were wind assisted,” Green said.

“Monagi is still young and has a lot of potential so it is only a matter of time before she breaks the record.” 

Monagi, like Kaputin, Theo Piniau and triple jumper Peniel Richard are aiming for the NCAA D2 National Championships next month.

Just down the road from Canyon at South Plains College, Level land, Poro Gahekave and Shirley Vunatup are both progressing well and have qualified for the Junior College national championships which will be staged at SPC next month. 

Gahekave ran 19min 34 secs for the 5000m last weekend in Abilene in cold and windy conditions, whereas Vunatup qualified in the sprinting events and may feature in the school’s 4x400m relay team.