NGI talents impress Green

LAST week’s New Guinea Islands Athletics Championships saw many encouraging performances by upcoming athletes at St Mary’s Vuvu Secondary School in East New Britain (ENB). As the sport’s national governing body continued its search for new talents ahead of international meets, including the 2023 Pacific Games in the Solomon Islands.
West New Britain’s (WNB) young sprinters made a strong statement with 17-year-old Graham Bai dominating the Under-18 men’s division, and Lenia Gilis (U16) and Danlyne Siliwen (U18) winning the sprint double in their respective divisions.
Siliwen also won a close contest in the long jump with a leap of 4.78m ahead of ENB’s Vivienne Tutuai (4.75m).
ENB’s Kenneth Harrison picked up from where he left off at the national championships in Kimbe last year, winning the men’s long and triple jumps.
WNB also boasted some quality in the middle-distance events with Lawrencia Banaule winning the 800m and Dominica Kakap making a strong statement in the 1,500m and 3,000m behind Pacific Games representative Monica Kalua. Kalua and fellow Duke of York Islander Israel Takap, who are Utmei Secondary School students, were in fine form in the 1,500m and 3,000m.
Takap was set up for an excellent 1,500m time of four minutes, 15 seconds by his schoolmate Siune Kagl, who had blown away the field in the 5,000m with an outstanding 15 minutes, 45 seconds. Kagl also won the 3,000m in nine minutes, eight seconds and Takap (nine minutes, 12 seconds) finished second.
A number of promising middle-distance runners are emerging in the region with New Ireland’s Sialis Passinghan (open) and Adolf Kauba (U18) running under two minutes to win their respective divisions.
With WNB’s Samuel Pai also showing good form and New Ireland’s Stewart Tali clocking two minutes, one second, good competition is expected in this event at the WNB Championships next month.
“The open men’s javelin saw a very good and close competition with only 1.5m separating the first three places,” Athletics PNG (APNG) president Tony Green said in a statement yesterday.
“However, the actual measuring and recording of the distances is being queried by APNG before the marks are ratified.”
Meanwhile, APNG thanked the school principal and his staff for their support in staging the event as well as the other teachers from ENB who volunteered as technical officials, including those from Utmei Secondary.
Athletes are now looking forward to the WNB Championships in Kimbe from Nov 14-15 which will give them a high-quality competition ahead of the Dec 4-6 PNG Air National Championships in Port Moresby.