Toako appointed Tuvaluan athletics coach

Papua New Guinea’s javelin and discus throw national recorder holder Sharon Toako has been appointed as coach for the Tuvalu Athletics team.

She will be leading two athletes to compete at the 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Senegal which starts this Saturday.

A World Athletics Level Two accredited Coach, Toako was engaged by the Tuvalu National Olympic Committee in August to prepare its two throwers for the Games.

As an elite athlete herself, being from the Pacific Islands and with several years coaching experience on the Gold Coast, Australia, and Toako fitted the requirements of the role perfectly.

She is currently an Intern with Oceania Athletics based on the Gold Coast, and this role was in line with a key objective of OAA which is building coaching capacity and developing athlete performance pathways across Oceania.

Athletics PNG President Tony Green welcomed the news and congratulated Sharon on her appointment.

While Toako leads the Tuvaluan throwers, her fellow national team mate and Olympic Jumper Rellie Kaputin will lead with Team PNG coaching duties at the Dakar Games.

“It’s a great story for PNG Athletics with two of our top female athletes who started their careers together in Kokopo 15 years ago, are now both coaching and taking athletes to an Olympic Games.”

“I’m sure this has been a great experience for Sharon as she develops her own coaching career,” he said.

Meanwhile Toako and her two athletes, male Javelin thrower Lotesi Mesu and female discus thrower Luisa Vila travel from Brisbane tomorrow.

Kaputin leaves PNG for Dakar via Brisbane on Wednesday morning with sprinter Kabake Lansana.

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CAPTION: .-Supplied