PNG sprinter Leroy Kamau Photo: Athletics PNG
Papua New Guinea and New Zealand have named their athletics teams for the 2023 Pacific Games in Honiara, Solomon Islands later this year.
Athletics PNG has selected a team of 35 athletes - 24 male and 11 female - for the Games including several athletes who emerged with honours at the recent national championships in Port Moresby.
The athletics team is also expected to include 10 para athletes who will be named at a later date.
The team is headed by jumper and sprinter Rellie Kaputin with other stalwarts of international competition including Sharon Toako, Edna Baofab, Adrine Monagi, Daniel Baul and Leroy Kamau.
However, sprint queen Toea Wisil is missing from the team after deciding to take the year off, and will not be adding to her long tally of Pacific Games and Pacific Mini Games medals.
Leonie Beu will now carry the hopes of PNG in the women's sprints, which PNG has dominated in recent years.
The PNG team Photo: Athletics PNG
Athletics PNG President Tony Green said the team was smaller than the 40-plus that had been expected mainly because of the difficulty finding and retaining female athletes, especially for longer distance events.
"This is a Pacific-wide problem, but we have to maintain standards, and we have selected a quality team made up only of athletes that meet the selection criteria which of course is principally focused on the ability to contribute to the medal tally," he said.
Smart choice for New Zealand
New Zealand, meanwhile, has named a 19-member development team for Honiara.
The group includes a mix of emerging athletes breaking into the senior ranks and athletes with experience.
They include 2021 New Zealand 400m champion Camryn Smart, who is set to compete in three events in Solomon Islands.
Smart, 22, missed the 2022-23 track and field campaign because of a hip injury, so will be making her competitive return for New Zealand at the Games.
Auckland sprinter George Kozlov's selection is validation for his return to athletics after stepping away from the sport for almost a year.
Bedevilled by hamstring, achilles and hip injuries the former national U-18 sprint medallist quit athletics in August 2021. After opting to return last year he has posted a series of wind-aided sub-11-second 100m times.
The New Zealand athletics team
Men
George Kozlov, 100m, 200m, 4 x 100m
Finn O'Sullivan, 400m, 4 x 100m
Hayato Yoneto, 100m, 200m, 4 x 100m
Ryan Shotter, 100m, 4 x 100m
Jack Paine, 800m, 1500m
Scott Thomson, Triple Jump, 4 x 100m
Liam O'Donnell, 800m 1500m
Percy Maka, Discus
Stephen Thorpe, Decathlon
Women
Rebecca Peterson, 100m, Long Jump, Triple Jump, 4 x 100m
Lara Hockly, 100m, Long Jump, Triple Jump, 4 x 100m
Mariah Ririnui, 100m, Long Jump, 4 x 100m
Georgia Whiteman, 200m, 400m, Hurdles, 4 x 100m, 4 x 400m
Camryn Smart, 200m, 400m, 4 x 400m
Jordan Evans-Tobata, 200m, 400m, 800m, 4 x 100m relay, 4 x 400m
Tillie Hollyer, 800m, 1500m, 4 x 400m
Peyton Leigh, 800m, 1500m, 4 x 400m
Diana Ismagilova, Triple Jump
Elizabeth Hewitt, Hammer Throw
The five-day athletics programme takes place from November 28 to December 1.