Athletics: Versatile Fowler too strong for opposition

Kieran Fowler (Taieri) is coming to decision time in his sports career.

He is talented at both athletics and rugby but would find it difficult to reach the top in both sports.

Fowler (20) transferred to Dunedin from Waimate two years ago to develop his sports career.

He has been a key member of the Pirates premier backline for the last two years and has also made an impact in athletics.

Two years ago he won two New Zealand junior athletics titles, in the discus and 110m hurdles.

His best option in athletics is probably the decathlon because he has the all-round skills that are necessary to be successful in that gruelling event.

That option is preferred by his coach, Raylene Bates, who has high hopes for Fowler.

He demonstrated his current form by winning the men's discus in difficult conditions during the interclub meeting at the Caledonian Ground on Saturday.

His sequence of throws were 38.77m, foul, foul, 40.94m, 40.59m and 43.99mHe left his best effort for his last throw to indicate that he is on target to win a medal in the senior men's event at the New Zealand championships in Christchurch at the end of next month.

Fowler is ranked third on the national table this season with the 44.85m he threw in November.

Ahead of him is clubmate Marshall Hall (49.07m) and Auckland's Damian Smuts (48.15m).

The other top throwing performance came from Nicole Bradley (Caversham), who won the women's aged 17 to 19 discus (33.06m) and hammer throw (35.67m).

Bradley is one of the best younger throwers in the country and won a bronze medal in the senior girls shot put at the national secondary school championships at Timaru in December.

Matthew Aitken (Hill City) won the AWD discus with a throw of 21.60m that was close to his best.

The best hammer throw of the day came from Dean Rusbatch (Taieri), who won the boys aged 15 and 16 event with 42.67m.

He won a silver medal in the event at the national secondary schools championships.

Brent Cheshire (Ariki) jumped 1.75m to beat Elton Matternich (Southland) in the boys aged 15 and 16 high jump.

Matternich jumped 1.70.

Cheshire won a silver medal at the national secondary schools championships.

Blair Grant (North Otago), who won a junior boys gold medal at the New Zealand secondary schools championships in the 100m and a bronze medal in the 200m, won the boys aged 15 and 16 100m in 11.13sec.

Dee-Jay Kennedy (Southland) surprised Otago's top junior sprinters when he pushed Toby Flett (Hill City) and Todd Johnston (Ariki) back into the minor placings in the 100m.

His time was 11.26sec.

Ethan Campbell (Southland) won the boys aged 15 and 16 100m in 12.56sec.

Kirsty Morris (Leith) celebrated her 24th birthday by winning the women's 1500m with a fierce sprint down the straight to beat Katrina Finn (Ariki) in 4min 48.11sec.

Finn was timed at 4min 49.52sec.