The 2026 Oceania Athletics Championships wrapped up in Darwin on Saturday after six days of competition, with Team PNG producing several standout performances, including two new national records and a number of personal best results.
Leading the charge was Lakona Gerega, who broke the national javelin record for the tenth time in his career, improving the mark by an impressive 3.35 metres.
PNG’s men’s 4x100 metres relay team, made up of Pais Wisil, Timothy Tuna, Leroy Kamau and Daniel Baul, also set a new national record, improving on the time established in Palau last year.
PNG Athletics President Tony Green said the focus of attending the championships was not solely on winning medals, but on giving athletes valuable international competition experience.
Mr. Green explained that the team sent to Darwin was smaller than the squad that attended the 2024 championships due to rising costs associated with visas, travel, accommodation and meals, worsened by the declining value of the Papua New Guinea kina.
He said with Australia and New Zealand fielding strong teams, PNG selected athletes capable of competing well and benefiting from the high-level competition. He also noted that several female athletes in the national squad were either not eligible for the Under-20 or Under-18 divisions or were still developing towards that level, with another competition being planned for them next month.
Aside from the record-breaking performances, several athletes also impressed with strong individual results.
Jiuteis Robinson delivered an outstanding performance in the 800 metres, competing strongly against experienced Australian runners and recording a major personal best time of 1 minute 50.26 seconds.
Young sprinter Hephzibah Romalus also showed significant improvement in the women’s 100 metres, while veteran hurdler Robert Oa clocked a personal best of 14.40 seconds in the 110 metre hurdles against a quality field.
Meanwhile, Daniel Baul once again impressed in the men’s 400 metres, posting an excellent time of 47.82 seconds in what was regarded as one of the strongest 400 metre races ever staged at the Oceania Championships. The first four athletes in the event all broke the previous championship record.
Mr. Green said Baul’s performance was especially commendable given it was his first major race of the season.
Seventeen-year-old Brisbane-based sprinter Ethan Asimba also made a strong impression, recording a personal best of 10.99 seconds in the 100 metres to claim a bronze medal in the Under-20 division against older competitors.
Several members of the PNG squad preparing for the upcoming Commonwealth Games are expected to compete again at the Philippine Open in Clark City from June 10 to 14.
