Team PNG hailed

Sports
Karo Iga’s valiant efforts in the men’s decathlon saw him rewarded with a personal best in the Birmingham Commonwealth Games at Alexander Stadium in the United Kingdom on Friday. – teampngpics
Toea Wisil’s time of 24.43 seconds in the women’s 200m semifinal was not enough for her to advance to the final.

By SULI SULI
THE Papua New Guinea Olympic Committee has hailed Team PNG’s efforts in the recent Birmingham Commonwealth Games, United Kingdom.
Committee secretary-general Auvita Rapilla praised the team for their achievements which included a silver medal and new national records.
“The Commonwealth Games are a very high-level competition and our athletes had limited exposure over the last two years (due to the Coronavirus),” she said last week.
“There were some competitions, including the Olympics, in which they had competed before the Birmingham Games.
“It was a very difficult two years for our athletes, trying to take part in the necessary competitions to prepare for such high-level competition.
“But their performances to date have been outstanding, considering the challenges that they have endured.”
Team PNG competed in weightlifting, swimming, athletics, squash, table tennis and boxing.
Weightlifting silver medallist Morea Baru won Team’s PNG’s only medal in the men’s 61kg.
He lifted 121kg in the snatch and 152kg in the clean and jerk, scoring a total of 273kg to finish behind Malaysia’s Muhamad Aznil Bin Bidin, who scored 285kg.
India won bronze with a total lift of 269kg. National weightlifting champion Dika Toua missed out on a medal by 1kg in the women’s 49kg.
Toua lifted 74kg in the snatch and 96kg in the clean and jerk, settling with a total of 170kg.
“We’re are very happy with the results from our weightlifters,” Auvita said.
“Dika did her best and is still our champion.

Rellie Kaputin finished with a season’s best in the women’s long jump.

“She has always inspired the country, so we’re grateful for her commitment to representing PNG.”
Swimmers Ryan Maskelyne and Georgia-Leigh Vele were in strong form, setting new records.
Maskelyne set a new national record in the men’s 100m breaststroke with a time of 1:03.31 from his previous best of 1:03.89.
Vele achieved her Games target in the women’s 50m freestyle by setting a personal best of 27.8 seconds.
Boxers Neville Warupi, Arthur Lavalou and Jamie Chang reached the quarterfinals, but the trio were knocked out.
In athletics, Leroy Kaumu clocked a personal best of 10.68s in the men’s 100m and national women’s sprint champion Toea Wisil ran a season’s best with a time of 11.79s.
Long jumper Rellie Kaputin also achieved a season’s best of 5.95m.
Isila Apkup, Adrine Monagi, Leonie Beu and Wisil set the new national record in the 4×100 relay with a time of 45.38s.