Spotted In
PNG athlete in Texas
Athlete Rellie Kaputin hopes to compete in the 2018 Commonwealth Games, the 2019 Pacific Games and the 2020 Olympics. She’s well on her way, if her successes this year at West Texas A&M University are any guide.
In February, Kaputin led her university team to its fourth consecutive Lone Star Conference Indoor Championships, winning all three jumping events and setting two Papua New Guinea national records.
A month later, she won the triple jump with yet another PNG national record of 13.09 metres, came second in the long jump and was placed sixth in a tightly contested highjump competition.
As a result, she was named Indoor Field Event Athlete of the Year (division two) by the USA Track and Field Coaches Association, and was given the award for Outstanding Female Field Athlete of the Lone Star Conference Championships.
“I have been working very hard to achieve my goals in all my competitions,” she says.
“Coming here is like a dream come true and I enjoy being in the classroom working hard every single day to get my degree (general studies, specialising in accountancy), I am also blessed to be part of the best track and field team. They are like family to me, while I am far from home.”
Her head coach, Darren Flowers, says he’s proud of the way Kaputin competes for the school, adding, “her achievements are an example of where hard work and humility can take you”. “Rellie is one of the best competitors that I have ever seen or coached,” says Flowers. “She had the most consistent set of jumps of anyone in the competition and had her biggest jump when it mattered most.” Kaputin is the PNG national record holder in the triple and long jump, and regarded as the best in the region, after winning three gold medals at the 2015 Pacific Games, all with record-breaking performances. She’s one of 11 PNG athletes who are studying and competing in the US this year. Among them are Poro Gahekave, Shirley Vunatup and Naomi Kerari, who are at South Plains College in Texas, Adrine Monagi and Peniel Richard, who are at Angelo State University in Texas, and sprinter/ hurdler Afure Adah, who is at Minnesota State University. Born in Tinganalom village, just outside Kokopo in East New Britain, Kaputin won a scholarship to study at North Iowa Area Community College after finishing her schooling at Kokopo Secondary in 2012. In Iowa, she earned All-American honours in the triple jump, high jump and long jump at the 2015 National Junior College Championships. When her scholarship finished, she was picked up by West Texas and again won All-American honours in three different events at the same championships in 2016. Her 14 points at the championships is the most by any West Texas athlete.