Athletics: Otago athletes in record-breaking mood at championship

The Columba College 4x400m relay team that broke the open girls record at the South Island...
The Columba College 4x400m relay team that broke the open girls record at the South Island secondary schools athletics championships in Timaru at the weekend. Pictured (from left) are Sian English, Renaye Flockton, Laura Carruthers and Sophie Napper. Photo supplied.
The talented Andrew Whyte (South Otago) again failed to nail the big one. He was runner-up in the 400m in Timaru last weekend.

Whyte (17) was second at the South Island secondary schools athletics championships in Timaru in a time of 48.81sec. The boys under-19 race was won by Tyler Collings (Timaru Boys') in 48.31sec.

The standard of the event was high with both runners beating the old record of 49.39sec.

Whyte is fifth on the national men's 19 ranking list and represented New Zealand in Australia last month but wins in the big events have eluded him.

He was disqualified at the New Zealand secondary schools championships in Hastings and finished runner-up to Mathew Robinson (Southland) in the men's 19 event at the national championships in Dunedin.

But there was a silver lining for Whyte in Timaru because he won the 200m in a time of 22.88sec.

Brent Cheshire (Otago Boys') lifted his national men's 19 ranking from ninth to sixth when he won the senior boys high jump with 1.91m.

It was a personal best jump by 6cm for Cheshire (16).

Megan McPhail (Waitaki Girls') continued her impressive form by winning the senior girls 100m (12.67sec) and 200m (25.92sec) double.

Rebekah Greene (St Hilda's) won the senior girls 800m (2min 11.73sec) and 1500m (4min 26.81sec). She beat the old 1500m record by eight seconds.

The Columba College open girls 4x400m relay team of Renaye Flockton, Laura Carruthers, Sian English and Sophie Napper was first in a record time of 4min 05.21sec. Carruthers also won the senior girls 1500m steeplechase in a time of 5min 26.07sec.

Columba also won the senior girls 4x100m title in 50.47sec. The team was Flockton, Napper, Samara Dalziel and Melissa Austen.

The Columba team of Catie Mulholland, Laura Saville, Sian English and Christie Wood won the girls under-16 4x100m record in 53.43sec.

The other senior girls champion was Davina Hamann (Otago Girls') with her javelin throw of 39.10m.

Other senior boys winners were Blair Grant (Waitaki Boys') 100m (11.31sec), Andrew Harper (King's) 2km steeplechase (6min 57.60sec) and the Waitaki Boys' 4x100m relay (44.82sec).

There were eight records by Otago athletes in Timaru.

Courtney Martin (East Otago) won the girls under-14 shot put (11.13m) and discus (35.01m).

Sam Timmins (Otago Boys') broke the boys under-14 discus throw by 3m with his second place throw of 47.28m.

Joshua Browne (John McGlashan) reduced the old record by 30 seconds when he won the boys under-14 3000m in 9min 33.89sec.

Nikita White (Otago Girls') set a record in the AWD 100m with her winning time of 16.49sec. She also won the 200m (34.75sec) and 400m (1min 20.05sec).

Shaun Markham (King's) won the AWD shot put (2.69m) and discus (8.82m).

Other Otago winners:
Girls under-16: Samara Hollows (South Otago) 400m (59.40sec) and 800m (2min 20,49sec); Girls under-15: Devoney Sparks (Wakatipu) 100m (13.14sec), Libby Jones (St Hilda's) discus (32.73m) and hammer throw (33.87m), Bayfield 4x100m relay (52.71sec); Girls under-14: Samantha McAuley (Queen's) 100m (13.35sec), 200m (27.35sec), Christina Ashton (Queen's) 80m hurdles (12.82sec), Otago Girls' 4x100m relay (52.81sec); Boys under-16: Rodney Bungard (St Kevin's) 100m (11.50sec), Robert Jopp (John McGlashan) 200m (23.30sec), McKenzie Haugh (King's), 100m hurdles (14.62sec), Alex Thomson (Taieri) hammer throw (41.94m); Boys under-15: Rhian Ward (Dunstan) 800m (2min 04.36sec) and 1500m (4min 19.71sec), Hamish Cooper (Otago Boys') 3000m (9min 19.83sec), Sam Porter (East Otago) javelin (40.02m); Boys under-14: Hugh McLeod-Jones (John McGlashan) 3000m (9min 33.89sec).

 

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