Athletics: Ballam shines in 800m

The talented Glen Ballam (Southland) showed he is on target to win a gold medal at the New Zealand secondary schools athletics championships next month by dominating the 800m on Saturday.

Ballam (18) won the senior men's event in blustery conditions at the Caledonian Ground in 1min 55.26sec.

It was just two seconds short of his personal best time and the fastest time run in the country this year.

Ballam finished runner-up in the senior boys event at the national secondary schools championships in Hamilton a year ago and was also second in the junior men's event at the club championships in March.

When he begins his study at the University of Otago next year he will join Jim Baird's running stable.

Ballam passed through the first lap in 56 seconds and then exerted his dominance and won by 6sec from William Scorgie (Hill City), who ran 2min 01.06sec.

The other highlight came from Rebekah Greene (Hill City), who broke the Otago girls aged 15 3000m record when she won the open women's event in a personal best 9min 58.25sec.

It was the fastest time in the country this year for women in the 16 and under age group and the fifth-fastest this season in the open women's grade.

Greene will be contesting the junior girls 1500m-3000m double at the New Zealand secondary schools championships.

Biddy Skerten (Taieri) won the open women's 300m hurdles in 45.33sec.

It was the fastest time in the country this season in the open grade.

Skerten (17), a pupil at Columba College, will be competing in the 300m hurdles and the 400m at the New Zealand secondary schools championships.

Ilse Rietberg (Logan Park HS) convincingly won the women's javelin with a personal best throw of 29.65m.

It was the best throw in the country in the women's aged 19 and under grade this season and makes Rietberg (17) a strong medal prospect at the national secondary schools championships.

She will also contest the high jump and the shot put.

Rietberg, an exchange student from the Netherlands, is coached by top Dutch throwing coach Joop Ter Voort, who has coached a fourth place-getter at the Olympics and a silver medallist at the world senior championships.

Her parents and brothers are holidaying in New Zealand and watched Rietberg in action at the Caledonian Ground on Saturday.

The Hill City boys aged 13 4 x 100m relay team of Chris McNoe, George Woodhouse, Zak Watt and Sam Watson broke their own Otago record by a second with a time of 50.76sec.

The Bryce Watt-coached team has a remarkable record in children's athletics and holds the Otago records for ages 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 grades.

The other record to fall went to Jim Flynn (Leith) in the men's aged 75-79 800m in a time of 3min 35.78sec.

It lowered the record standard by 14sec.

Flynn has achieved the unusual feat of breaking an Otago record for the last five weeks in the 800m, 1500m, 3000m, 5000m and 10,000m.

The best individual sprint performances came from Todd Johnston (Ariki), who won the men's 100m in 11.33sec, and by 16-year-old Tim Lawrence (Hill City), who won the 200m in 22.99sec.