A hearing-impaired athlete, Koreta Lom, shined out during the recent Momase Regional Youth Games hosted in Madang.
Koreta was part of a group of inclusive athletes to participate in an exhibition match in Para-Athletics – a first for the Regional Youth Games edition.
Happily communicating through her guardian, Koreta said, she was excited to be part of the program attending the Regional Youth Games.
On her way to have a first taste of the event, transport became an issue and then came the heavy downpour on her arrival at the event site, but all these did not stop Koreta who persisted in being out there on the pitch.
As soon as the weather let up, the Karkar native joined her companions on the pitch. She ran a good time in her 100m finals at 18.97 seconds. Her participation in the 2017 PNG Games in Kimbe helped her do well in her run.
Not only she is a runner, but Koreta is also a Karate athlete in the style of Shotokan Budokai.
Commenting about her flexibility to do well in multiple sports, her guardian said, Koreta was a faithful participant in the sport until for one reason the training ceased and she could no longer train.
Her parents also did not give their permission to participate in the Momase Games.
However, her teammates requested her family to participate in the event given the shortage of female athletes in the team and their request was granted.
Now that she is actively participating in athletics, Koreta is expected to be part of the Madang provincial team in the PNG Games set for December 2023.