Otago athletes won 40 medals at the 38th annual South Island Colgate Games in Nelson at the weekend.
Eighteen of the 70 Otago athletes competing in the games won medals, ensuring the province finished with 14 gold, 17 silver and nine bronze.
More than 2000 athletes from 100 athletics clubs competed in the event at Saxton Oval, which is for those aged from 7 to 14 years old.
Sarah Langsbury (12) , of Ariki, accounted for five of the medals.
She won the girls grade 12 high jump (1.47m) and long jump (4.63m), before winning silver in the 100m (13.40sec), 200m (27.94sec) and 400m (62.68sec).
Jack East (13), of Aspiring, Nirvana Hepi-Breen (10), of Hill City-University, and Hamish Mears (14), of Hill City University, also each won two gold medals.
East won the 200m (24.37sec) and 400m (53.99sec), Hepi-Breen won the girls grade 10 shot put (8.70m) and discus (24.70m), while Mears won gold in the boys 14 grade shot put (12.70m) and discus (44.78m).
East also won silver in the 100m and bronze in the long jump, before helping Aspiring claim silver in the boys grade 13 4x100m relay.
Like Langsbury and East, Cameron Moffitt (12), of Hill City-University, won four medals.
Moffitt claimed the boys grade 12 80m hurdles in 12.71sec and finished second in the shot put (11.39m). He also won bronze in the long jump (4.68m) and discus (32.01m) to cap a successful weekend.
A group of Taieri athletes - Flynn Murdoch (13), Taylor Smith (13), Samuel Macredie (13), Zharna Beattie (13), Luke Clinton (14) and Zaine Murdoch (10) - also did well at the North Island Colgate Games in Palmerston North a fortnight ago.
The group won 11 medals at the games, including a gold by Flynn Murdoch in the 80m hurdles and Smith in the 400m.
SI Colgate Games
Other Otago medallists
Gold: Shyah Beattie (10), of Taieri, long jump; Abby East (11), of Aspiring, 400m; Beryn Abbott (14), of Hill City-University, discus; Nathan Harrison (13), of Ariki, high jump; Nico Bowering (14), of Hill City-University, 100m.
Silver: Shyah Beattie, discus; Emma McKay (12), of Taieri, long jump; Zharna Beattie (13), of Taieri, discus; Hannah Ashton (14), of Taieri, 80m hurdles; George Bates (13), of Hill City-University, high jump, 800m; Ryan Schmack (13), of Aspiring, long jump; Nico Bowering, silver; Aspiring's grade 11 girls 4x100m relay; Hill City University's grade 10 boys 4x100m relay; Aspiring's grade 13 boys 4x100m relay; Hill City University's grade 13 mixed medley relay.
Bronze: Molly Barham (11), of Aspiring, high jump; Celia Ward (13), of Alexandra, 100m; Hannah Ashton, high jump; Nathan Harrison, hurdles; Dominic Morrison (13), of Hill City-University, 200m; Ryan Schmack, discus.
