Discus: Young thrower betters Commonwealth Games standard

Siositina Hakeai (Auckland Girls' Grammar) is sponsored by the John Walker Field of Dreams Foundation and it paid dividends on Saturday, when she bettered the discus standard set for the last three Commonwealth Games.

Hakeai (18) beat the mark of 56m with two of her six throws when she won the senior discus at the Caledonian Ground.

Four of her throws beat the old New Zealand secondary schools record. Her best throw of 56.27m smashed the old mark by a massive 4.25m.

Hakeai, who finished fourth at the world junior championships in Barcelona last year, appreciates the financial help given her by the foundation.

''It makes a big difference,'' she said.

''It costs a lot to fly from Auckland to Dunedin. If it wasn't for them, I wouldn't be here. It costs too much money.

''My next goal is the Commonwealth Games, in Scotland in 2014.

"I want to get a medal there."

Hakeai's sequence of throws at the championships on Saturday was 54.35m, 54.04m, 56.19m, foul, foul, 56.27m.

Her penultimate throw reached 60m, but was declared a foul when she lost her balance and toppled out of the circle. She was better balanced with her last throw and broke her own New Zealand W18 record with 56.27m.

She made a dramatic improvement before coming fourth at this year's world junior championships in Barcelona after her coach, Nigel Edwards, watched figure skating on television.

''Skaters get great speed if they remain vertical when they turn,'' Edwards said.

''I got Tina to stay more upright in the circle."

Younger sister Ofa Hakeai won the silver medal in the junior girls discus with 39.40m.

Siositina Hakeai completed an outstanding championships when she won her fourth successive senior shot put title with a distance of 13.04m.

Jesse Bryant (St Bede's) equalled the senior boys long jump record of 7.36m when he retained his title. Nigel Park (Rangitoto College) set the record in 1990.

Greer Alsop (Southland Girls' High School) bettered a record when she retained her senior triple jump title with 12.20m, but the wind reading of 3.1m per second was just over the allowable limit.

Matt Bloxham (Orewa College) moved from third to first with his sixth and final throw to win his gold medal in the senior boys shot put with a personal best 18.34m which qualified him for the world youth championships in Ukraine in July.

It was an even competition. Alex Fafeita (Wairarapa College) was second with 17.44m and Sam Ulufonua (Auckland Grammar) third with 17.29m.

Bloxham, who won the hammer title on Friday night, was third in the senior boys discus, with a personal best 50.71m.

 

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