COMMONWEALTH Games gold medalist Steven Kari said his shanty club at Hanuabada village will still bring home gold at the forthcoming XV Pacific Games and beyond.
Kari said he was away for four years training in Noumea and only wanted to stay an extra week to celebrate his mother’s 50th birthday. "My mum is special to me as she sacrificed a lot for me to follow this pathway when I was only 15 years old," he said. He said what is done is already forgotten and he has accepted his fate to train on home-soil under his mentor and most successful coach in the South Pacific Douglas Mea. "I have no regrets, I was made to look foolish in the public eye by the media, but I respect the decision by the OWF coach Paul Coffa and PNG Weightlifting presi Sir John Dawanincura," he said. "I requested Paul Coffa to have an extra week off but he became angry and said he was done with me and I was not needed any more at the institute," he said. "So when I called Sir John to explain the circumstances…he also gave me the cold shoulder and gave a similar negative response that Coffa gave," he added. "I tried my best to reason out for the next two weeks but nobody was interested at hearing my side of the story and it was very frustrating," he said. "I and my coach Douglas Mea recently held a meeting with PNGOC general secretary Auvita Rapilla and Team PNG chef de mission Richard Kassman to iron out this issue," he said. "I will still make it with my coach Mea at my back and the support that will be coming from people of PNG" said Kari. Kari said nearest rival and opponent from Australia, Simplice Robeon who he defeated at the recently held Commonwealth Game in Glasgow, Scotland has vowed to settle the score against him when he comes across for the Games in July. Kari beat the Australian four times already, at the Australian club championship in Melbourne, Commonwealth youth Games in Malaysia, Oceania championship in New Caledonia and the Commonwealth Games at Glasgow, Scotland. Post Courier
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