Wakatipu High School’s Siena Mackley, 17, and James Weber, 16, fly to Australia’s Gold Coast on Saturday ahead of the 2025 School Sport Australia Cross Country champs, competing in the under-18 cross country on Monday, and relays on Wednesday.
The training buddies are part of a 26-person New Zealand team, selected after phenomenal performances earlier this year in the NZ secondary school cross country champs, in which Siena won the senior girls’ title in her 4km race, and James finished 5th in his 6km race.
They were on the same winning 4x2 mixed senior cross country relay team, but will compete in single-gender relays in Aus.
Their coach Neville Britton, who’s also the NZ team’s assistant manager, says both are in "really good form" and hunting to make the NZ U20 team to compete in the world cross country champs in Florida next year.
"These two kids are incredible," he says.
"[They] come from little old Queenstown — we’re miles from the rest of NZ when it comes to competition and [factoring in] the climatic factors, you’ve really got to love running to have the commitment and perseverance to put in the miles and the work that’s required.
"And to have two from the one school ... and two of my own athletes, it’s a highlight for any coach to have athletes represent their country."
