Shay Veitch. PHOTO: ODT FILES Shay Veitch leapt his way to Otago’s first medal at the Oceania championships this week. The national long jump champion added another medal to his collection after winning bronze with a best jump of 7.41m in balmy Darwin conditions. Australian Alex Epitropakis won with 7.19m while compatriot Jalen Rucker snapped up silver with 7.83m, while fellow Otago long jumper Felix McDonald (Taieri) finished fourth with 7.20m. Otago runner Sadye Kawau (Hill City-University) was part of a dominant women’s under-18 4x100m relay team, alongside Jordan Viljoen, Emkhe Joubert, and Maddie Early, who won in 48.16sec. Alex Walker (Hill City) won bronze in the men’s under-18 4x100m, alongside Connor Brady, Reiley Thomas and Rianco Haggard, in 42.50sec. Phoebe Laker (Aspiring) came second in the women’s under-18 400m in 55.16sec, Walker was fifth in the men’s under-18 400m final in 51.47sec and Kawau was seventh in the women’s under-18 100m final in 12.56sec. Among the other New Zealand standout results are Paralympian Danielle Aitchison, who broke her own T37 100m world record in 13.20sec to win gold — and later silver in the 200m. Mitch Joynt set a national and Oceania record, and won bronze in the men’s para 100m, and gold in the 200m. Olympian Zoe Hobbs won the women’s 100m in 11sec, Tori Moorby won gold with a season’s best 60.40m in the women’s javelin, Jacko Gill won gold in the men’s shot put with 19.97m and Lex Revell-Lewis set a national record in the men’s 400m in 45.82sec. More Otago athletes were in action yesterday, including Paralympian Holly Robinson and Josh Chisholm, who was one of New Zealand’s flag bearers. kayla.hodge@odt.co.nz
