Rising sprint star Timothy Tuna has been selected to represent Papua New Guinea at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo this September, where he will compete in the 200 metres; the event in which he has twice broken the national record this year. Tuna, a standout product of the NSI Athlete Development Programme, first gained international attention at the 2024 Oceania Championships, earning a bronze medal in a fiercely contested 200m event. His impressive semi-final time of 21.32 seconds hinted at his potential, which was confirmed when he smashed PNG’s national 200m record with 20.75 seconds in April, and then bettered that mark with 20.64 seconds on May 1st. The 20-year-old continued his outstanding form at the Pacific Games in Palau, where he pushed veteran Pais Wisil to the line in the 100m and stormed to victory in the 200m, claiming gold for PNG. Athletics PNG President Tony Green confirmed Tuna's selection, noting that PNG was granted only one athlete quota for this year’s World Championships. “It was an incredibly tough call between Timothy and Pais, as their performances this season have been nearly identical.” “We considered the quality of results using international scoring tables, world rankings, and how both athletes performed in major meets.” “In the end, Timothy's slightly higher world ranking tipped the balance in his favour.” Tuna will return to school in New Mexico by mid-August before heading to Tokyo in mid-September, where he is expected to be joined by some of his university teammates representing other countries. The 200m heats at the Championships will take place on September 17, with the semi-finals scheduled for September 18.