Pini advises athletes

 THE need for athletes to set goals have been emphasised by a champion PNG athlete who is now joining Team PNG as an assistant coach.

2006 Commonwealth Games swimming gold medallist Ryan Pini, pictured, urged athletes participating in the XX Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, to do the right thing.

“Do the right thing, eat the right thing and respect your managers,” the gold medallist in the men’s 100m butterfly said.

Before Pini spoke, high performance manager Aaron Alsop urged the athletes to look toward their competitions with a goal which they should write on a piece of a paper.

Chef de mission Emma Waiwai urged the athletes to remain focused on the goals they had before coming to Glasgow. “Despite the hustle and bustle, stay focused,” Waiwai said.

Pini told the athletes that when he entered competition in the Melbourne Games in 2006, he had three goals in mind.

“I want to get my time below my personal best of 52.60s, win a medal and if possible hear the PNG national anthem played,” he said.

As fate would have it, Pini reached the end line ahead of the pack in a time of 52.64 seconds and won the gold for PNG.

Becoming emotional in his talk, Pini said he had almost all his three goals achieved in the Melbourne Games.

Later at the Games village Pini said: “Though I did not improve my time as planned, but I won the gold medal and heard the national anthem played. I am happy with that.”