Youth Is Feature Of P-NG's

Noumea Athletics Team

From a Port Moresby Correspondent Papua-New Guinea will send a team of 40 track and field athletes to the Noumea Games. This compares with 16 at Suva in 1963.

OF the 40, men number 24 and women 16. Outstanding feature of the team is the youthfulness of the athletes, especially the women.

Only four of the girls are over 18, seven are just 16 or under 16. The average age is I6i.

Baby of the team is 14-year-old Bernadette Mamal, a Tolai girl who will challenge New Caledonia’s star Bigourd in the 800 metres.

Youth is a feature of the men’s team also. Two of the 400 metres runners with times under 50 secs, are juniors—Eliab Wuat is 18, and Ezekiel Kikila, 17. Both are Tolais.

With senior 400 metre star Damien Midi (he was not at Suva) hitting top form, P-NG should be among the medals in the 400 metre event and virtually unbeatable in the 4 x 400 metres relay, where the team is confident of setting new South Pacific Games figures.

Bill Wellbourne should romp home in the 400 metre hurdles and the 800 metres flat event. Wellbourne is a fine performer, and his times of 55 secs, for the hurdles and 1 min. 56 secs, for the 800 metres are well ahead of any other figures this year in the South Pacific.

Old Hands

P-NG has two high jumpers hitting over 6 ft—both Papuans. One, Piewa, is a high school student. He has cleared 6 ft 3 in., while the other jumper, Beni, has a best height of 6 ft li in. Both are expected to do better as a result of intensive coaching now being undertaken at Rabaul.

The men’s team will have an even sprint combine.

The finish of the 100 metres event at the P-NG championships in October was a “blanket” affair with the first three place-getters clocking 10.8 secs. This augurs well for the relay (P-NG won at Suva against the strongly favoured Fijian and New Caledonian teams) where all-round ability is the key to success.

Two of the sprinters are “old hands”, Bruce Richter and Meli Muga. The newcomers are Aphme ledy Kaumata and Silas Tita. Richter

is an Australian who was born in Papua, the other three are Tolais.

Papuan Oe Ivaharia will again represent in the javelin. His current figures are well below those of Liga, from Fiji, but this was the case at Suva. Liga failed on the day of com petition and Ivaharia won the event and gold medal.

Woman javelin thrower Sophie Bilur must be given a good chance.

She is a most consistent performer and her best figures are equal to the winning throw at Suva. Again, much could depend on the day. Bilur’s steadiness rather than brilliance may prove a distinct advantage.

Australian schoolteacher David Keating, who ran second to Mike Joyce in 1,500 metre events when the latter was in P-NG, has the fastest time for this event in the South Pacific this year. His figure is only two seconds outside Joyce’s P-NG record, and it would not surprise if at Noumea he runs very close to 4 mins. Two other middle-distance men, Sinavih and Rimbut, could finish not far behind Keating.

Men hurdlers will be Don—a Papuan, and Kalas—a Tolai. Both are improving and should give a good account of themselves. Paula Paraide, who will represent in the women’s 80 metres hurdles, is a 15year-old schoolgirl.

P-NG will have a determined 400

metre runner in New Ireland girl, Navo Anisa. She will also compete in the high jump and probably be a member of the women’s relay team.

The latter could give a surprise, again through all-round ability and even performance.

Leading woman sprinter Neomi Taraingal is likely to turn in better times at Noumea than she has in P NG, where she has been untroubled to win. She should be a finalist in both sprints and will certainly run a fine relay leg.

There will be three starters in the green and white uniform in the 5,000 and 10,000 metre events, a Papuan, Livingstone Tabua, and Tolais John Varula and Darius Ngain. Although times recorded by these athletes are slower than those reported from other countries manager-coach Don Barrett is confident that his “team” will run

One of Papua - New Guinea's crack basket ball players is Tovai Mariba, of Rabaul, here seen training for the Noumea Games.

Photo: Chin H. Meen.

well at the Games. All have been working to a tough training schedule.

Woman long jumper Delilah Exon, from Raluana near Rabaul, should be a finalist in her event. Her best distance is just over 17 ft, but she is improving, and like javelin thrower Bilur she has the virtue of consistent performance.

Shot and discus throwers, both men and women, will be better performers than those who went to Suva. Aus tralian schoolteacher Bob Davis will be the shot putter and New Ireland policeman Miskiram Masum will throw the discus.

Discus Prospect

Masum, just 19 years old, power fully built and a fast mover, is re garded as the best discus prospect yet found in P-NG. Woman discus thrower Perpetua Warvagai (a Tolai) was 12 feet ahead of her rivals at the P-NG championships. Now under going special coaching she will cer tainly be a finalist at Noumea. She has a good competition temperament.

Women shot putters are Lavah Ting dai, a Tolai schoolgirl (aged 17) and the team’s only Highlander, Kengen Minao, a trainee nurse who comes from Wapenamanda, in the Western Highlands. Although at present they are behind Fijian dis tances. both are responding well to specialised coaching. Like Warvagai they both have good competition tem perament.

Late news from Rabaul is that 38 of the 40 athletes will be concentrated at that centre for two weeks’ final

preparation under Australian coach John Cheffers, who will be assisted by local coaches Father Hueging, Stuart Broad and Wes Rooney.

The P-NG Amateur Athletic Union is making every effort to ensure that its team is well trained and well equipped. Manager - coach Don Barrett has the advantage of his ex perience in a similar capacity at Suva Games in 1963, and the assistant manager, Margaret Evers, a capable administrator, is a fluent French speaker. Mr. Barrett has visited Port

Moresby, Lae and Kavieng to check on athletes’ preparation and regular newsletters go to all team members.

The Rev. Marty Heist, of Lae, who has been coaching the men’s basket ball team, believes that it is a better team than that which won a bronze medal in Suva.

The Rev. Marty has been con centrating on team play rather than individual brilliance, but it seems unlikely that the team will be able to match the non-stop play of the French Polynesians, gold medallists in Suva.

Of the six boxers who will make the trip, four were P-NG repre sentatives at Suva. Matthew Julius, bantamweight, and winner of a gold medal at Suva is still a hard punch ing boxer and was in good condition at the P-NG Championships in Rabaul recently.

Terry Hopkins, lightweight, and his light-middleweight brother Ken Hopkins, both of whom were at Suva are looking much fitter and more aggressive than three years ago. Both won their title bouts with KOs.

The other boxer, an “old hand”, is Arthur Tomaira. This fighter has improved his defences since he was knocked out in the Suva bouts and seems now to have the ability to come back.

Newcomer Barry Ainsley is a fast clean fighter with a quick hard right.

He sustained a good deal of punish ment in his title fight to come back in the third round and win with a KO. • For a report on Fiji, see p. 29.

Three young New Guinea swimmers who expect to make a splash in Noumea are Molly Aluquin (left) 15, and sister Pia Mae, 17, and Tiko Mae, 14, seen here in Port Moresby talking to the sisters' father, Sgt. Mae Verave. Sgt, Mae is a company sergeant-major with the Ist Bn, Pacific Islands Regiment. Pia won two silver medals and a bronze at Suva. Her sister has been putting up excellent times.

In his father's foot steps? The young son of New Guinea athlete Bill Well bourne helps Dad with his running shoes during pre- Games training. Well bourne is a favourite for the 400 metre hurdles.

Photo: Chin H. Meen.