Rebekah Greene
Rebekah Greene (Hill City) started the athletics season
in style when she broke a hat trick of records in the 1500m at
the Caledonian Ground on Saturday.
Greene (15), a pupil at St Hildas Collegiate, set records in
the girls aged 15, 16 and 17 grades when she won the women's
1500m in 4min 36.53sec.
It was a personal-best time by three seconds.
The Jim Baird-coached athlete went to the front from the
start and led by two seconds when she completed the first lap
in 70sec, and by seven seconds when the 800m was completed in
2min 24sec.
Greene led by 10 seconds at the bell and completed the last
lap in 74sec to beat Katrina Finn (Ariki) by 13 seconds.
Greene beat her own marks in the girls aged 15 and 16 grades.
The significant note was to beat the record for a 17-
year-old by two seconds.
The old record was run by Olympic marathon representative
Nina Rillstone (Caversham) in 1993.
Greene hopes to retain her junior girls 3000m title at the
New Zealand secondary schools championships in Timaru in
December.
She is also contesting the 1500m, in which she won a bronze
medal last year.
Greene also ran a personal-best time when she won the women's
400m in 59.97sec.
Another notable performance on Saturday came from Matthew
Robinson (Southland), who was a convincing winner in the
men's 100m (11.28sec) and the 400m (48.61sec).
Robinson has won the senior boys 400m at the New Zealand
secondary schools championships for the past two years and
wants to complete the hat trick in Timaru.
He has a best time of 47.7sec and has bettered the qualifying
standard of 48sec for next year's world junior championships
in Canada.
Mike Weddell (Taieri) broke the men's aged 60 masters 400m
record when he ran 65.56sec.
The old record had been held by Andy Anderson (Civil Service)
since 1998.
Matthew Aitken (Hill City) won the AWD (athletes with
disabilities) discus with a throw of 20.60m.
He will be defending his AWD titles in the discus, shot put
and 100m at the national secondary schools championships in
Timaru.
The other promising discus performance came from 15-year-old
Michael Jolly (Hill City) when he won the men's 19-and-under
event with a throw of 29.59m.
Southland's Helen Sinclair (nee Harrex) won the women's
hammer throw with 31.59m.
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