 Athletics New Zealand has named a team of four athletes for the inaugural Para Athletics World Junior Championships in Notwill, Switzerland.
Sprinters Libby Leikis (Wellington) who has a T37 classification and Anna Stevens (Auckland), a T44 athlete will compete in their first ever world championship event. Both will contest the 100m and 200m events. Palmerston North's Jack Lewer will contest the F20 shot put at the championships. Lewer set multiple New Zealand records during the NZ domestic season and competed in both the Para shot put and the able bodied events at the New Zealand Championships. Guy Harrison from Hastings is selected in the T35 800m subject to obtaining international classification prior to the championships. The championships will be held from 3 - 6 August 2016 and are an opportunity for New Zealand to blood some exciting young talent to take advantage of New Zealand's great showing at the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games. Libby Leikis Wellington T37 100m/200 Anna Stevens Auckland T44 100m/200 Jack Lewer Manawatu F20 Shot Put Guy Harrison Hawkes Bay T35 800m  Havelock North High School’s Georgia Hulls (in white singlet) on her way to winning the Senior Girls 400m, with Grace Godffrey (Wanganui Collegiate) finishing second and Jessica Hood (St Paul’s Collegiate) third. Photo credit: Jo Murray. The North Island Secondary Schools Athletics Championships were held at TET Stadium in Inglewood, New Plymouth over the weekend.
The last major meeting in the season’s Secondary Schools track & field calendar produced plenty of highlights. In boys junior middle distance Finn Seeds retained his unbeaten record in the 1500&3000m for the season as did Hannah O'Connor in the girls’ intermediate equivalent. Oliver Miller from Auckland remained untouchable in the senior boys 400m, but there was drama for his younger St. Peter's College schoolmate James Guthrie-Croft in the senior boys sprints. Guthrie-Croft was disqualified from the 100m, but bounced back hard to win the 200m. Perhaps the closest record setting race of the meet was between local athlete Hannah O’Connor of Sacred Heart College, New Plymouth, and Charli St Peter’s School, Cambridge in the Intermediate Girls’ 3000m. Winner O’Connor edged a fast finishing Miller by less than a second. There were a total 20 records set in the culmination to the 2016/17 season. For many, the next major national event is the NZSS Cross Country Championships in Christchurch on 17 and 18 June. The NZSS Track and Field Championships are in Hastings in December. Full results here: CLICK HERE Girls Records Junior 800m: Krystie Solomon (Waikato/Bay of Plenty) - 2:14.3 Junior Long Jump: Genna Maples (Wanganui) - 5.64m Intermediate 1500m: Hannah O'Connor (Taranaki) - 4:29.59 Intermediate 3000m: Hannah O'Connor (Taranaki) - 9:32.21 Intermediate Triple Jump: Lisa Putt (Auckland) - 11.67m Intermediate High Jump: Josephine Reeves (Wellington) - 1.76m 3kg Shot Put: Senior Maddison-Wesche (Auckland) - 16.24m Open 2000m Steeplechase: Charli Miller (Open) - 6:35.11 Junior 4x100m Relay: Waikato/Bay Of Plenty - 50.57* *The team by order of leg was Abigail Griffiths, Alesha McQuoid, Jaimee Eades and Annalies Kalma) Boys Records Junior 3000m: Will Anthony (Wellington) - 9:24.33 Junior High Jump: Jayden Williamson (North Harbour) - 1.90m Junior Hammer Throw: Jayden Williamson (North Harbour) - 47.89m Intermediate 3000m: Murdoch McIntyre (North Harbour) - 8:44.67 Intermediate Discus: Connor Bell (North Harbour) - 68.41m (Won by 20m) Senior 110m Hurdles: Ben Kennedy (North Harbour) - 14.39m 2000m Open Steeplechase: Joseph Clark (North Harbour) - 5:58.08 Paralympics Boys Junior 200m: Josh Taylor (Wairarapa) - 27.90 Junior 400m: Josh Taylor (Wairarapa) 1:04.73 Discus Throw: Josh Taylor (Wairarapa) 20.22m Shot Put: Jack Lewer (Manawatu) - 11.55m  Mount Aspiring College's Janus Staufenberg wins the Senior Boys 1500m ahead of St Bede's College's Nick Moulai at the SISS Athletics Championships. Photo by John Caswell. A National champion and a South Island champion in two sports in the space of three days.
Year 13 Mount Aspiring College athlete Janus Staufenberg admitted to College Sport Media he was a bit sore, but he was looking forward to his two-week break after his Summer Tournament weekend of success. Last Thursday and Friday, Janus was in Whanganui at the NZ Schools Triathlon Championships, where he won the Boys U19 individual triathlon, came second in the Boys U19 individual aquathon and picked up another second with his school team in the U19 teams triathlon. He then flew to Dunedin where he lined up against the best middle distance runners in the South Island and won the SISS U19 1500m race in a record time. Was it always the plan to compete in the two events? “Not quite, I specifically trained for triathlon and that was what I was targeting to compete at, but I recently ran at the Otago-Southland Regional Athletics Championships and did a pretty flash time there so I thought I might as well give South Islands a go as well.” What were his expectations? “In the triathlon I was definitely hoping to win. I have been to all the Tri Series races in the summer and have been on the podium a couple of times and have always wanted to win one – so was really stoked to win that.” Janus won the U19 individual triathlon by 10 seconds to second placed Bradley Cullen of Hamilton Boys’ High School and with James Matthews of Sacred Heart College 12 seconds back in third. In the U19 individual aquathon, Janus’s and Bradley’s places were reversed, while Janus’s Mount Aspiring College teammate Gregor Findlay came third. “In the 1500m, I had heard of Nick Moulai [from St Bede’s College, who came second] and wanted to give it a crack and see how I went. I just sat behind me and we had a wee sprint off.” In fact, the 1500m race was a highlight of the SISS meet. Janus and Nick were together all the way out in front until the 200m mark when Janus put on the afterburners and Nick just didn't have the gas over the last 50 metres to stay with him. Both went under the old SISS record, Janus winning in 3.54.37. Janus, who was born in Germany but has lived in Wanaka his entire life, said he hopes to earn selection in the New Zealand team. “The World Junior Triathlon Championships are in the Netherlands in September.” There’s also the cross country season coming up, with plans to work towards competing at the NZSS Cross Country Championships in June in Christchurch. Last year as a Year 12, he was the first Otago-Southland runner home in finishing 13th in the Senior Boys race in Rotorua, behind winner and fellow triathlete Dan Hoy of Westlake Boys’ High School. He didn’t compete at last December’s NZSS Track and Field Championships but is considering competing in this year’s nationals in Hastings, depending on his year pans out. That also includes his year in the classroom, where he has a busy NCEA coming up in “full on subjects” such as sciences, maths and English. Other Mount Aspring College athletes to excel at the SISS athletics were Zoe Smith who won the U14 Girls 800m and 1500m races, after breaking long standing records at the recent Otago and Otago-Southland Regional Athletics Championships meetings, and Sammy Burke, who won the Senior Girls 3,000m fresh from finishing second in the 5,000m at the Australian Track and Field Championships. Eleven records fell at the South Island Secondary Schools Athletics Championships this past weekend at the Caledonian Ground in Dunedin:
Zharna Beattie, Taieri High School U15 Girls Javelin - 38.22m Jaidyn Busch, Christchurch GHS U16 Girls Shot Put - 14.77m Tegan Duffy, Kate Davies, Georgia Stroud, Olivia Burnham, Villa Maria College U19 Girls 4 x 400m relay - 4.00.14 Emma Ryan, James Hargest College U19 Girls Shot Put - 13.66m Liliana Braun, Cashmere High School Open Girls 2,000m Steeplechase - 7.10.15 Keanu Vanisi, Flynn Murdoch, Gregor Clarkson, Bradley McPate, Kings High School U15 Boys 4 x 100m Relay, 45.74 Ethan Walker, Tokomairiro High School U15 Boys Javelin - 51.76 Janus Staufenberg, Mount Aspiring College U19 Boys 1500m - 3.54.37 Violette Perry, St Margaret's College U15 Girls Javelin - 38.97m Nick Moulai, St Bede’s College U16 Boys 1500m - 3.57.57 Edward Hsing, Christ’s College U16 Boys Pole Vault - 3.20m Full results CLICK HERE A selection of photos by John Caswell Images is below. To view more and to purchase images CLICK HERE |
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