Gold reward for hard training

Columba College runners (from left) Charlotte Cahill, Sian English and Hanna English celebrate...
Columba College runners (from left) Charlotte Cahill, Sian English and Hanna English celebrate their New Zealand secondary schools cross-country success. Photo by Linda Robertson.

Columba College made its mark in style when it won the senior girls gold medal at the New Zealand secondary schools cross-country in Christchurch recently.

The team of Hanna English (16), Sian English (17) and Charlotte Cahill (16) won the three-person race on countback from Rangi Ruru, of Christchurch.

The best-performed runner was Hanna English, who finished fifth in 13min 48sec of the 142 runners who completed the race. Eighteen schools contested the senior girls event.

''It was good to win the gold medal for the school,'' she said.

''There was a gradual uphill to the finish of the course.''

Hanna is a talented athlete and finished seventh in her age-group at the national club championships last year.

She is a versatile sportswoman and was a member of the New Zealand under-16football team last year.

Older sister Sian (17) finished 17th in the cross-country in 14min 42sec and played a key role in the win by ploughing on through a bad patch.

''Winning the gold medal was a reward for all the hard training we have done,'' she said. It was her second national title. She was a member of the Southern Districts tennis team that won the national under-16 title last year.

She enjoys the longer distances and finished runner-up in the senior girls road race at the New Zealand secondary schools athletics championships last December.

It was the first national title for Cahill, who finished 19th in 14min 54sec.

The three runners in the team are coached by Mike Weddell, who also coached the year 9 girls team that finished 11th in the team event.

Those results pleased Columba College sports co-ordinator Shona Harvey.

''It was the first time Columba College had won a gold medal in cross-country events,'' she said.

''We never had enough girls competing to field a three-person team in the past.

''It was a big milestone for us to have nine competitors competing for us at the national championships.

''We are building a sports culture at the school and are getting good results in a number of sports.''

 

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