Multiple records tumble at Otago and Southland Athletics Championships

PHOTO CREDIT - Otago Secondary School Sport

Expect a strong contingent of local athletes at the upcoming South Island Secondary Schools Athletics Championships at Dunedin’s Caledonian Ground.
No fewer than 21 records tumbled at this past weekend’s Otago Regional Championships at the same venue, while several more were also broken at the equivalent Southland secondary school athletics meet.

In cool conditions, much of the action ran hot in Dunedin.  Several athletes broke two records apiece. On the track, Nathan Hill (Otago Boys’ High School), Zoe Smith (Mt Aspiring College) and Josh Hou (John McGlashan College) all broke two records, while Jackson Toms (Otago Boys’ High School), Zharna Beattie and Hamish Mears (both Taieri College) also set dual records in jumping events.

In another notable record, 3000m race walker Alex Brown (Kings High School) lowered his personal best from 17.58.65 to 16.32.75.

Meanwhile, several records also fell at the Southland Secondary Schools Athletics Championships on Friday and Saturday – including the Senior Girls Hammer throw record being broken four times in a single contest between Emma Ryan (James Hargest College) and eventual winner Dyani Shepherd-Oates (Fiordland College), who threw 45.81m on her final attempt.

Other Hammer records to fall included Ben Henderson (Southland Boys’ High School) in the Boys 16, Uilealea Lavea (Southland Boys’ High School) in the Boys U15 and Skye Singer (James Hargest College) in the Girls U14 record.

Dannika Collins (Southland Girls’ High School) broke the Girls U16 100m record, dating back to 1999.
Jaxon Taylor (Southland Boys’ High School) set a new U16 1500m record of 4:20.51, beating the previous record dating back to 2000.

The New Zealand Athletics Championships are in Hamilton this Friday, Saturday and Sunday, featuring some of these top performers and others around the country in the junior division.

Top performers from the Southland championship will meet the best from the Otago schools at the Otago-Southland championships at Surrey Park in a fortnight, ahead of the South Island Secondary Schools Championships in Dunedin on 1 April.

Records that fell in Otago at a glance:
Ethan Walker (Tokomairiro)
U15 Javelin: 48.72m (previous 45.03m)

Zharna Beattie (Taieri College)
U15 Girls Shot Put: 11.99m (previous 11.76m)

Hamish Mears (Taieri College)
U16 Boys Shot Put: 13.75m (previous 13.29m)

Zharna Beattie (Taieri College)
U15 Girls Discus: 36.52m (previous 32.00m)

Hamish Mears (Taieri College)
U16 Boys Discus: 47.59 (previous 45.12m)

Jackson Toms (Otago Boys’ High School)
U15 Boys Triple Jump: 12.43m (previous 11.88m)

Jackson Toms (Otago Boys’ High School)
U15 Boys Long Jump: 5.94m (previous 5.88m)

Hannah Ashton (Taieri College)
U15 Girls High Jump: 1.62m (previous 1.62m)

Jack East (Mt Aspiring College)
U15 Boys 400m: 52.09 (previous 52.67)

Zoe Smith (Mt Aspiring College)
U14 Girls 800m: 2.23.78 (previous 2.27)

Dominic Morrison (John McGlashan College)
U15 Boys 800m: 2.06.34 (previous 2.06.72)

Josh Hou (John McGlashan College)
U14 Boys 1500m: 4.29.19 (previous 4.31.56)

Zoe Smith (Mt Aspiring College)
U14 Girls 1500m: 4.47.97 (previous 4.57.51)

Nathan Hill (Otago Boys’ High School)
Senior Boys 1500: 4.04.07 (previous 4.06.65)

Josh Hou (John McGlashan College)
U14 Boys 3000m: 9.42.30 (previous 9.52.34)

Drew Cairney (Kings High School)
U16 Boys 3000m: 8.57.79 (previous 9.03.82)

Nathan Hill (Otago Boys’ High School)
Senior Boys 3000m: 8.43.71 (previous 8.57.33)

Sammy Burke (Mt Aspiring College)
Senior Girls 3000m: 10.13.36 (previous 10.14.52)

Cameron Moffitt  (Otago Boys’ High School)
U14 Boys 80m Hurdles: 11.80 (previous 12.20m)

Tara McNally (Taieri College)
U16 Girls 300m Hurdles: 46.48 (previous 46.60)

Alex Brown (Kings High School)
Boys Open Race Walk 3000m: 16.32.75 (previous 17.58.65)

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