By Raphaella Kaore – EM TV Sports, Port Moresby
Stalin Tetana, from the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, is currently, the first weightlifter from the New Guinea Islands selected to train in the National Capital District.
He has been training at the High Performance Centre in Port Moresby, vying for a spot in the 77 kilogram division, for an entry into the PNG Team.
Twenty-six year old Tetana is raw talent, and has been under the radar of the weightlifting fraternity, since the 2012 PNG Games in Kokopo. He was formally selected at the recent PNG Games in Lae, to undergoing intensive training at the HPTC and has since grown from strength to strength.
Tetana recently competed at the weightlifting trials, his respective weight category, 77 kilograms where he snatched 90 kilograms, and 110 kilograms in the clean and jerk.
EMTV Sports caught up with Tetana, at the village of Hanuabada, the home of PNG’s sensational weightlifters, Dika Toua and Steven Kari. Young Stalin lives with the Oala family.
In an interview, he says that he joined weightlifting, as a remedy from being addicted to drugs and alcohol. In Bougainville, he trains with the Halia Weightlifting Club, under the watchful eyes of Coach, Michael Matsi.
He added that he is extremely grateful to have been selected to train outside of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville and encourages other youth, just like him, and other New Guinea islanders to train hard, and join him.
He now aims for a new target, and that is, to represent PNG in the Pacific Games in July.
