RISING talent Rellie Kaputin, pictured, has her sights firmly on next year’s Pacific Games.
Rated as a hot medal prospect in the three jump events, the Tolai woman is on track following her exceptional performance during the national track and field championships staged at St Peter’s Channel College in Kokopo on the weekend. The United States-based athlete did justice to her number one ranking in Papua New Guinea by winning the high-jump, long-jump and triple-jump events. Kaputin, currently on break from studies at North Iowa Area Community College, produced near personal best results to better her chances of being named in the national athletics team for the forthcoming Commonwealth Games and Oceania Championships barring injury. In the high-jump, the 21 year old cleared 1.62m and dropped the bar at 1.65m, two centimetres short of her personal best of 1.67m that she set in the regional championships at Storm Lake, Iowa, in the United States earlier this year. The national record is 1.76m set by Angela Way during the 1999 South Pacific Games in Guam. In the long-jump, she leapt 5.47m, short of her personal best of 5.73m. On current form she is touted to better the long-standing national record of 5.75m set by Lily Tua in 1991. In an early media statement, PNG Athletics chief Tony Green stated that Kaputin has the 24 year record in her sights. In the triple-jump, she recorded 11.68m, short of her personal best of 11.79m. The national record is 12.03m also held by Way that she set in the 1995 Mini Pacific Games in Pirae, Tahiti. “I’m happy with my current form and if I don’t get injured am aiming break that record in the lead-up to the Pacific Games,” she added. Kaputin said the training in the US has helped her greatly and she is focussed more than ever before to strive for excellence for her country. Green yesterday said Kaputin is performing as expected as the top jumper in the country. “She just returned from injury and her form suggests she is on the way back, and we expect that will be confirmed by the team physio whose report is expected tomorrow” On this year’s form, Kaputin did lead the 2014 USA Junior College Indoor High jump rankings going into the Nationals championships, and ranked sixth in the triple jump and tenth in the long jump. Kaputin is with nine other PNG athletes at the same college that were selected by the PNG Athletics to prepare for next year’s Games. Comments are closed.
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