By Joel Fitzpatrick, Port Moresby 2015 Games News Service
PORT MORESBY, July 16 – The penultimate day of the Port Moresby 2015 Pacific Games sees medals handed out across five sports with the big ticket events being the men’s soccer gold medal game and men’s and women’s 4x100m relay at the BSP Stadium.
New Caledonia and Tahiti will go head-to-head in the soccer, with New Caledonia looking to defend its 2011 title after beating Rio 2016 Olympic qualifiers Fiji in the semifinal on Wednesday.
If New Caledonia wins the final, it will be its third straight title after it also won gold at the 2007 edition of the Games in Samoa. If Tahiti wins, it will be its first gold in the Pacific Games soccer competition.
The final starts at 19:00 and the bronze medal game at 15:00.
In the final night of the athletics competition the big sprinters come out to play in the men’s and women’s 100m relay.
The relays always throw up some heartbreak and elation as the pressure of a potential gold medal can make the baton very easy to drop, and when it does the chances of the team go with it.
Also to be contested at the BSP Stadium on Friday is the men’s shot put, women’s standing para-shot put, men’s and women’s long jump, women’s 3000m steeplechase and the men’s 400m hurdles.
It will be the men’s turn to take to the taekwondo mats on Friday. Medals will be handed out at BSP Arena in seven weight categories, including the big boys in the up to 87kg and over 87kg categories.
The squash mixed doubles gold and bronze medals will be won on Friday over at the Port Moresby Racquets Club from 14:00, while in the same venue the men’s and women’s tennis singles will be played, although the start time is unclear.
The golf continues on Friday with players trying to negotiate the Royal Port Moresby Golf Club’s treacherous layout for the third time.
In lawn bowls, the women’s singles, women’s fours, men’s pairs and men’s triples roll on at the Bisini Greens with the semifinals decided by the end of the day.
Boxing semifinals finish the day at Caritas Technical Secondary School, netball quarterfinals, volleyball and beach volleyball semifinals and hockey playoffs are also on the card.
For more information visit www.portmoresby2015.com
