Team bags 21 medals

A YOUNG Papua New Guinea swim team returned 21 medals from the Arafura Games with coach Rick Van Der Zant summing up the performances as massive.
“The competition is complete but all the athletes are now thinking about their preparations and what they can do now to make improvements in and out of the pool before the next competition,” Van der Zant said referring to July’s Pacific Games.
“The swimmers managers and coaches have combined to provide the very best opportunity and environment for our swimmers to perform their best.”
“We have had lots of fabulous support by the local PNG citizens that live here in Darwin.
“We have met so many people, made lots of good friends and have been welcomed with open arms in Darwin for the Arafura Games.
“This has been an awesome opportunity for our athletes to perform abroad and we thank PNGSI for their support of this important competition for the development of swimming in PNG,” Van der Zant said.
An enthusiastic PNG swim team left Port Moresby on the April 24 to attend the swimming competition at the FINA compliant Parap 50m swimming pool complex in Darwin from the April 27-30.
After an eight-year hiatus, the Northern Territory government brought back the Arafura Games, and this year PNGSI sent a team of 13 swimmers to compete alongside swimmers from the Australian states of Northern Territory, Queensland, New South Wales, Western Australia and international swimmers from Cook Islands, Solomon Islands, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Philippines.
PNG were represented in the 17 and-over age group by Derek Oates, Livingston Aika, Collin Akara, Leonard Kalate, Tanguy Langelet, Juanita Vava, Holly John, Lorani Moses, Judith Meauri, Anthea and Britney Murray.
While Rehema Kalate and Elijah Akunaii competed in the 15-16 age group.
Assisting our swimmers to provide the best environment for them during competition were Australian coach Van der Zant, assistant PNG coach Shane Akara and manager Beatrice Geita and Jean Vava.
The Arafura Games began as the Arafura Sports Festival in 1991 with 1,500 athletes competing in seven sports.
The Games fosters goodwill between sporting neighbours and shared sporting and cultural knowledge within the Asia-Pacific region.
The PNG swim team received 21 medals overall, including individual and relay medals, at the close of competition Tuesday.
PNG women won six individual medals with 15 year-old Rehema Kalate claiming a bronze medal in the 50m breaststroke while in the 17 years and over category Britney Murray won three medals – a silver in the 50m backstroke, 200m backstroke and 50m butterfly, bronze in the 100 backstroke – and sister, Anthea was won a bronze in the 50m breaststroke.
PNG’s men won a total of nine medals with 16-year-old Elijah Akunai winning bronze medals in the 50m and 100m butterfly events in the 15-16 year old category.
In the 17 years-and-over age group, Leonard Kalate won two silver medals (50m breaststroke/200m breaststroke), and a pair of bronze medals from the 100m freestyle and 100m breaststroke while Livingston Aika claimed a silver medal in the 50m butterfly and two bronze medals in the 50m and 100m backstroke events.
Team PNG also won six relay medals with three silver medals for the mixed 4 x 50m freestyle relay (Colin Akara, Livingston Akara, Judith Meauri, Anthea Murray) in a time of 1 minute 47.51 seconds; male 4 x 100m freestyle relay (Livingston Aika, Tanguy Langelet, Leonard Kalate, Lorani Moses) in a time of 3:48.46; female 4 x 50m medley relay (backstroke leg Britney Murray, breaststroke leg Rehema Kalate, butterfly leg Judith Meauri, freestyle leg Anthea Murray) in a time of 2:12.17.
The men’s 4 x 50m free style team (Tanguy Langelet, Leonard Kalate, Collin Akara, Livingston Aika) won a bronze medal in a time of 1:41.17 and the men’s 4 x 50m medley relay (backstroke leg Livingston Aika, breaststroke leg Leonard Kalate, butterfly leg Collin Akara, freestyle leg Tanguy Langelet) in 1:53.28.
PNG also won a bronze medal in the men’s 4 x 100m medley relay in a time of 4:13.87.