PNG athletes shine at Philippine Open Championships with gold, bronze, and Personal Bests

Papua New Guinea’s national athletics team delivered a strong performance at the 2025 Philippine Open Championships, returning home with one gold, five bronze medals, and a string of personal bests across a variety of events.

The four-day event, which concluded on Sunday, saw participation from around 1,000 athletes across Open and Under-18 divisions.

PNG was among eight international teams represented, joining strong contingents from Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.

Athletics PNG President Tony Green praised the team’s effort, describing the competition as “a very good experience” that provided the right level of challenge to help athletes improve.

Daniel Baul won gold in the 400m hurdles, alongside the bronze-medal performance by Sialis Passingan and fourth place by William Peka [54.73 seconds], reinforced PNG’s depth in this specialty.

Patricia Kuku emerged as a standout developing talent, claiming double bronze in the women’s 200m and 400m with personal best times in both events.

Athletes including Robert Oa [110m hurdles], Abel Siune, Monica Kalua, Ray Kumala Heru [1500m], Denlyne Kinbangi [200m], and Dilu Goiye [10,000m] also set personal bests, demonstrating impressive progress across the board.

Green said the event was a challenging competition that pushed PNG athletes to better performances.
He added that it was a valuable stepping stone for both the elite and developing athletes as the team prepare for future regional and international competitions.

Medal Highlights:
Gold Medal; Daniel Baul – 400m hurdles – 52.91 seconds
Bronze Medals:
Sialis Passingan – 400m hurdles – 53.55 seconds [Personal Best]
Benjamin Aliel – 400m – 47.97 seconds
Patricia Kuku – 200m – 25.53 seconds [Personal Best]
Patricia Kuku – 400m – 57.88 seconds [Personal Best]
Ray Kumala Heru – 3000m steeplechase – 12:16.75 [Personal Best]