Kari eyes gold in Glasgow

 By WENDY KATUSELE

Weightlifter Steven Kari has only one aim  – to win gold at the Commonwealth Games.

The 21 year-old Hanuabada man takes centre stage at the Clyde Auditorium in Glasgow, Scotland, on July 29 and carries the hopes of a nation.

Minister for Sports and 2015 Pacific Games Justin Tkatchenko, Papua New Guinea Olympic Committee president Sir John Dawanincura and secretary general Auvita Rapilla are confident Kari will give PNG the much-awaited gold in the 94kg division.

Having already conquered Oceania and won his division (senior and junior) at the Commonwealth Championships last year in Penang, Malaysia, the stage is set for Kari to continue the country’s run of winning a medal in every Commonwealth Games since 1990.

There is the incentive of a K100,000 payment if he claims the top spot in his division.

The three sports heavies, who departed the country last Thursday to join the Team PNG contingent already settling in at Glasgow, are confident the Kari will put PNG on the medal tally.

Other medal hopefuls are weightlifters Dika Toua, swimmer Ryan Pini and sprint star Toea Wisil.

These athletes have the chance of grabbing the cash incentives of K100,000 for gold, K50,000 silver and K25,000 bronze. 

Kari, who has been undergoing training under coach Paul Coffa at the High Performance Training Centre in Noumea, New Caledonia, is a multiple Pacific and Pacific Mini Games gold medallist.

Coffa is confident Kari’s time has come to shine on the world stage.

In a video interview last Sunday played back at Team PNG’s farewell, Kari declared his intention to win gold.

“I really want to win gold at all costs,” Kari said.

Kari’s achievements include winning the 94kg junior and senior divisions in the 2013 Commonwealth championships; the 2013 and 2014 Oceania senior men’s division; the senior South Pacific title.

He is the winner of three gold medals and the holder of five new Pacific Games records set in 2013 in Wallis and Futuna.

While much is expected off Kari, Tkatchenko said most athletes were first-timers and improving their personal bests and gaining international was what the athletes would be looking forward to doing.

He said this would be a test for the country’s athletes against their Pacific counter-parts as PNG looked forward to claiming victory on home soil next year.