What a coincidence.
Hamish Mears, of Taieri College, won the boys under-14 discus title with a record throw of 40.35m at the Otago secondary school athletics championships.
The old record was set by Taieri and Otago rugby player Kieran Moffat (St Kevin's College) in 2003.
Moffat, a promising thrower in his school days, was coached by Raylene Bates, a life member of the Taieri Athletics Club.
Mears is coached by Megan Gibbons and Joan Merrilees at the Taieri club.
Bradley Tarleton (Taieri College) smashed the senior boys hammer throw record by a massive 4.51m with his winning throw of 52.55m.
He is now second on the national youth ranking list. Other athletes from the Taieri club, coached by the mother and daughter combination of Merrilees and Gibbons, also set records and won titles.
In the girls under-15 long jump, Leonie Palmer (St Hilda's) was second but broke the record because she had a legal wind reading with her jump of 4.84m. Palmer also won the 100m (13.08sec) and the 200m (26.78sec).
Felix McDonald (Kings) broke the boys under-16 400m record with his time of 52.23sec and won the 100m hurdles in 13.60sec. Sam Gouverneur won the title and broke the record in the boys under-14 400m (54.79sec) and won the 800m (2min 15.12sec).
Christina Ashton (Queens) won senior girls titles in the 100m (12.98sec), 200m (26.68sec) and 100m hurdles (14.84sec).
Sam Kirk (Taieri College) won the Roberts Cup for winning the senior boys high jump with a leap of 1.75m.
Other Taieri College athletes to win titles were Rory Findlay in the boys under-14 long jump (4.89m) and Hannah Ashton in girls under-14 long jump (4.35m) and high jump (1.45m).
