Athletics

Qatar’s Mutaz Barshim and Italy’s Gianmarco Tamberi share gold in the men’s high jump

In a dramatic end to the Olympic high jump final, Qatar’s Mutaz Barshim and Italy’s Gianmarco Tamberi will share the gold medal, after each jumped 2.37m.

Three athletes scaled 2.37m setting up an intense battle for the coveted Olympic gold medal with Barshim, Gianmarco Tamberi of Italy, and Belarusian Maksim Nedasekau, all clearing the height.

With no athlete able to beat a height of 2.39m, the gold was shared between Barshim and Tamberi, with Nedasekau taking the bronze on countback.

Olympics: Lamont Marcell Jacobs becomes the new 100m king with glory for Italy

  • Silver for Fred Kerley and bronze for Andre De Grasse
  • Britain’s Zharnel Hughes disqualified after false start

Yet on a balmy and steadily more barmy Tokyo evening, they joined everyone else in being blindsided by a tattooed 26-year-old from Rome who inked his name permanently in the record books.

Kaputin last PNG Athlete to compete

Kaputin was the last to compete for Team PNG on day three of the Athletics competition in Tokyo as she shone through a field of world class athletes.

Impressive strides for PNG athletes in US

After posting some very encouraging times over 60m and 200m in her first two competitions, the 22-year-old from Ambunti recently moved up a gear and clocked a sensational 400m time of 56.94 seconds at Pittsburg State University, Kansas.

Teammate Leonie Beu, running in the outside lane, held back in the first 200m and could not make up the gap on Apkup but still finished with a good time of 57.85 seconds.

Tags: 

WNB athletics champs set to go

The event kicks off on Friday, November 13th, at the Sasindran Muthuvel Stadium.

Despite the disruption to training this year caused by COVID-19 restrictions, the athletics programme in the province, led by Coach Wilson Malana, has been very active with a number of weekly competitions having already been held.

Quality performances at NGI athletic champs

Young sprinters from West New Britain made a strong showing with 17-year-old Graham Bai dominating the U18 men’s division and Lenia Gilis (U16) and Danlyne Siliwen (U18) winning the sprint double in their respective divisions.

Siliwen also won a closely contested long jump competition with a leap of 4.78m from Vivian Tutuai of ENB (4.75). Kenneth Harrison of ENB continued where he left off at the National Championships in Kimbe last year in winning the open men’s long and triple jumps.

Tags: 

Pacific Games to crown fastest man

New Caledonia continue to lead the medals table from host nation Samoa, while a strong showing on the track lifted Papua New Guinea into fifth overall.

Papua New Guinea won six medals on the first day of athletics, including gold in the men's 3000m steeplechase and the women's 5000m.

That was enough to lift the reigning Pacific Games champions above Australia into fifth place overall with 13 gold, 22 silver and 13 bronze medals.

New Caledonia's shooters were on target in the team 25m short pistol to bring their total haul to 43 gold and 94 medals in all.

PNG’s sprint queen Toea Wisil

It was not always smooth-sailing for the Jiwaka woman.

Two years ago, the sprint queen was outclassed in the 200m by Cook Islands Patricia Taea at the Pacific Mini Games in Vanuatu.

Then she had to sit out the Commonwealth Games last year. But she’s on the comeback trail and is determined to maintain her title at the Pacific Games. 

CLICK ON THIS LINK TO LISTEN TO TOEA WISIL'S EPISODE:

Athletics draws crowd on first day of competition

In the Men’s 400m Hurdles, PNG had a good result winning both the gold and the silver with Boino Mowen finishing in a time of 52.44 secs followed by Lerkin Ephraim in53.00 seconds.

Tongan Talatala Pooi secured the bronze with a time of 54.69 seconds.

“It’s not common for a Tongan to achieve a medal in Athletics. I tried my best and I hope my people are happy with what I’ve achieved” said Pooi.

Wisil in quest for world qualifying times

Wisil, the Pacific’s golden girl of the track, will have to eclipse times of 11.26 seconds and 23.10 sec respectively in the 100m and 200m qualifying times.

PNG’s sprint star will face her strongest competition of the season yet with Australian Rio Olympians Melissa Breen, Ella Nelson and Morgan Mitchell, out to test their speed and challenge for honours in the Summer of Athletics Grand Prix Meet.