Para team adds two more gold as Gerega sets new national record

Jerome Bunge competing in seated javelin (Athletics PNG)

PNG para athletes bagged two more gold medals for the national team with Steven Abraham winning the ambulant 200m and Jerome Bunge emerging on top in the seated javelin.

Bunge delivered a new Oceania record of 29.93m in the F57 classification yesterday.

Lakona Gerega also set the bar high with a new national record in the men’s javelin, throwing a superb 66.73 meters at the Oceania Championships in Suva, Fiji.

The throw was an improvement of 34cm on his record set at the Mini Pacific Games in 2022.

From a field of 15, Australian athletes took the first three placings with Lakona finishing fourth ahead of Donny Tuimaseve of Samoa who threw 65.73m, and a host of other Pacific Island athletes from Samoa Fiji, Cook Islands, Tahiti, and Vanuatu.

Lakona Gerega launches a throw in the men’s javelin (Athletics PNG)

Some encouraging results were also produced yesterday by the PNG development squad athletes with Joy Tieba qualifying for the 200m semifinals with a time of 26.25 seconds.

Tieba and Denlyne Siliwen ran under 13 seconds for the 100m in the invitational event.

17-year-old duo Hepzibah Romalus did a personal best of 1.50m in the high jump whilst Ray Kumala Heru clocked 12min 17 seconds for the 3000m open steeplechase.

Timothy Tuna also showed promising signs to compete in the 200m race after a strong showing in the 100m sprint.

PNG sprint sensation Leonie Beu displaying her bronze medal won in the 100m race along with her two Australian counterparts (Athletics PNG)

Meanwhile, Leonie Beu shone in the much-anticipated women’s 100m finals race to finish third with an improved time of 11.85 seconds. Beu made an ideal start but managed to pick up pace in the second 50m to secure the bronze medal.