PNG continues dominance on the track after hurdlers blitz Pacific Games men’s 400m final

Papua New Guinea’s athletes continued their golden run on the track at the Sol2023 Pacific Games with a dominant clean sweep of the medals in the men’s 400m hurdles.

Going into the final with the quickest qualifying times, Daniel Baul, William Peka and Sialis Passingan blitzed the field of eight runners in style at Honiara’s National Stadium on Friday afternoon.

Baul was the quickest, crossing the line in 52.75 seconds. Peka followed closely behind him in 52.86 seconds and Passingan took the bronze in 54.37 seconds.

Speaking to the Pacific Games News Service, a delighted Baul said: “I got the motivation from my mum to win this race. She texted me last night and said, ‘we don’t want to see you come second’, so I said ‘I’ll have to do this for you. Love you all’”.

Silver medallist Peka said: “I am so happy for this win. It means a lot to my country and my people. We thank everyone in our team and our supporters back home.”

Reflecting on PNG’s dominance in the 400m men’s events, Peka added: “We’ll work hard to continue the legacy PNG has had in the events and inspire a younger generation to join the sport.”

Passingan said: “It’s a great feeling to come here and dominate the race. Attending the Pacific Games for the first time and to get a medal shows my efforts in training are not wasted.”