Sharon Kwarula smashed another record last weekend as she became the first Papua New Guinean to run the 400m hurdles in under 60 seconds. Competing in the NCAA Division 2 National championships in Allendale, Michigan. Kwarula put behind her the disappointment of missing outon the 100m hurdles final to clock 59.77 seconds for a fifth place finish and take half a second off her own National record. Wala Gime also ran another national record in the 110m hurdles as he clocked 14.04 seconds in the preliminary round and went on to finish 5th in the final. It was a great weekend for Gime who also helped his team to a 3rd place finish in the 4*400m relay, anchoring the team to times of 3min 9 secs in the heats and 3:08 in the final. Kwarula said that she was very excited going into the race and it turned out better than expected. “Running this time is a big deal to me so I am very excited about the result”she said. “Setting a national record and finishing fifth at nationals is all I could ask for so it’s great to cap off the season this way”. Athletics PNG President Tony Green in congratulating Kwarula and Gime said that to finish 5th at the national championships at this level was an outstanding achievement for both athletes. “They both have one more year in Texas and if they can remain injury free, will be optimistic of improving further next year which will be great news for our Pacific Games Team” he added. The pair return to Port Moresby this week and still have a busy couple of months ahead, with the National Championships in Kokopo next week followed by the Oceania Championships (June 24 to 26) and the Commonwealth Games.
Last Modified on 29/05/2014 23:36