Newly crowned PNG women’s V12 champs

Papua New Guinea women’s Va’a team made history today by defeating the world and Pacific champions Tahiti.

The PNG V12 women’s team snatched the gold from the defending champions in just 9 nano seconds.

They clocked 2 min 26:61 while Tahiti clocked 2 min 26:70 in front of PNG supporters at the Naval Lancron Bay in Port Moresby.  

The first medal for a PNG team was won by a women’s team in the 2005 Palau Mini Pacific Games.

Senior canoeist Nellie Tetaga was part of that team that won the bronze medal.

The canoeists stepped up their efforts in the 2013 Mini Pacific Games in Wallis and Futuna where the women won a silver each in the V12 500m and V6m events.

The silvers were the first for any Va’a team from PNG.

Tahiti women took out the gold in both events.

In the same Mini Games, the PNG men won a bronze in the V6 500m event.

That was the first Games medal for PNG "male" canoeists.

In the other matches today Tahiti dominated the V1 men’s and women’s and V12 men’s.

In the V1 women’s event, New Caledonia won silver while the Cook Islands won bronze.

The men’s V1 match saw New Caledonia winning silver while Wallis and Futuna won bronze.

In the women’s V12 the host team PNG won the gold while Tahiti won silver and Fiji won bronze.

Team PNG V12 men’s did not make it to the top, finishing fourth while Wallis and Futuna won bronze, New Caledonia won silver and the defending champions Tahiti won gold.

The V6 and V12 relay will be played on Saturday and Sunday at Ela beach.

 

 

 

Author: 
Freddy Mou