QUALIFYING next year for the Tokyo Olympics is the main goal for jumper Rellie Kaputin who leaves today for the Gold Coast for a training stint. Kaputin, the Pacific Games champion and women’s national record holder in the long (6.27m), triple (13.28m) and high (1.77m) jumps said she would initially be focusing on the Apia Games in July but her main goal was to qualify for the 2020 Olympics.
Kaputin said she was not discounting the Pacific Games as it would be the first of two major events – the other being the World Championships in Qatar in August – she would try to win the Oceania Championship in Townsville at the end of June to qualify to go to Qatar.
“I’m aiming to qualify for the long jump at the Olympics and the qualifying mark is 6.75m and my personal best is 6.53m so I think I can reach that mark next year with a solid preparation.”
Kaputin jumped a wind-assisted 6.53m at the NCAA Division 2 national championships in Florida in 2017 Athletics PNG president Tony Green said Kaputin had shown she can jump over 6.50m so for someone like her who has shown many times that she can set goals and achieve them, qualifying for the Olympics is certainly possible.
“It would mean a lot for me to qualify for the Olympics. Just jumping 6.75m would be amazing. Not many Papua New Guinean athletes have gone to an Olympics so it would be something I want to achieve before I retire,” Kaputin said.
Last Modified on 26/04/2019 10:02