Hartley in his element at Track and Field Championships

Winner Quinn Hartley (James Hargest College), second placed Harvey Meyer (Whanganui Collegiate) and third placed Levi Ferguson (Middleton Grange School) on the Junior Boys High Jump podium.

Three national titles and a meet record.

All achieved in perhaps the most difficult weather conditions that could have been served up at the Newtown Park Stadium on Saturday and Sunday at the 47th NZSSA Track and Field Championships.

Lashings of wind and rain on both days didn’t faze Quinn Hartley, who won all three Junior Boys jump titles, which included a new meet record of 6.94m +0.4 in the long jump.

The tall, laid back James Hargest College athlete won the long jump title on Saturday morning and then followed it up in the afternoon with the triple jump win. On Sunday he returned to take the high jump.

Talking after his long jump win, he expressed his satisfaction in winning and breaking the record.

“It feels great to have done that, I really wanted to do that going into the competition and all the training is paying off,” he said.

Hartley’s previous personal best in the long jump was 6.43m, so he broke this by half a metre.

He actually broke the record twice. “The big jump was my fifth jump, but in my first jump I got out good and did 6.81m which was 2cm more than the record.”

The previous record was held by Kelvin Sefton of Pukekohe High School - set in 1974. 

In winning the triple jump later that day, Hartley jumped 13.34m, which was 6cm short of the record. On Sunday the wind had died down somewhat, but lashings of moderate to heavy rain dominated the competition. He won the high jump with a clearance of 1.94m.

Second placed Harvey Meyer of Whanganui Collegiate also jumped a high jump PB with 1.83m.

Hartley went into the national championships having broken the Southland U16, U18 and U20 high jump records with a jump of 2.03m.

This backed up his performance at the Athletics New Zealand meet in March, winning the men's under-18 high jump with a leap of 1.91m.

Hartley went one better than last year at the NZSS meet in Dunedin, when he also won gold in the junior long and triple jumps while collecting a bronze in the high jump.

He has just finished year 11, so 2019 was his final year as a junior.

Hartley started athletics when he was a youngster “doing all the events.”

“But I have really grown to like jumping over the past four years or so.”

Hartley thanked all the people who have supported him, not least his coach Chris Knight and his parents who supported him in Wellington all weekend.

What is coming up over the summer? “I am doing the Cooks Classic [Whanganui], the Potts Classic [Hastings] and Jumps to Music in Hawera as well.” Plus the New Zealand Track and Field Championships in Christchurch in early March.

In the winter he also plays social football for a school to keep up his fitness.  

A big future in athletics beckons.

NZSSA Track & Field Championships Junior Boys jumping results at a glance:
​
Long jump:
1.Quinn Hartley (James Hargest College) 6.94m PB record
2. Angus Lyver (Palmerston North Boys’ High School) 6.33m
3. Ari Koed Chang (Wellington College) 5.96m
 
Triple jump:
1.Quinn Hartley (James Hargest College) 13.34m
2. Jacky Dai (Whanganui Collegiate) 12.65m
3. Ethan Gow (Lincoln High School) 12.51m 3.

High jump:
1.Quinn Hartley (James Hargest College) 1.94m
2. Harvey Meyer (Whanganui Collegiate) 1.83m
3. Levi Ferguson (Middleton Grange School) 1.80m 

The Junior Boys Long Jump placegetters, winner Quinn Hartley (James Hargest College), second placed Angus Lyver (Palmerston North BHS) and third placed Ari Koed Chang (Wellington High School).