Ryan Young, a member of the Wānaka Aspiring Athletics Club (AAC), and former Te Kura o Tititea Mount Aspiring College (MAC) student, has had a great start to his summer athletics campaign.

Ryan has come out strongly in his early season competitions in Christchurch, excelling in both sprinting and jumping events, AAC head coach Michael Beable said.

Following a fast 60m personal best of 7.07 seconds, placing him a close second place in the Senior Men’s event at Christchurch’s Nga Puna Wai track on November 8, Ryan made waves again with an outstanding Triple Jump performance at the Interclub competition at NPW on November 29.

His leap of 14.77m was a massive personal best - by 45cm - even though the 4.2m/s tailwind exceeded the allowable limit for record purposes. 

This mark ranks him second in the country for the season, just 20cm shy of the best recorded distance.

“What makes Ryan’s triple jump even more impressive is that he achieved this distance off only 11 strides, which is about two-thirds of his usual run-up length,” Michael said. 

“He opts for a shorter approach early in the summer to condition his body and prepare for the intense forces (around 16-Gs) he'll face when he ramps up to his full run-up later in the season.”

Michael said these performances indicate Ryan is probably the best short sprinter and horizontal jumper to come out of MAC.

He’s now focused on the Senior Men’s Triple Jump at the Athletics New Zealand’s inaugural short-course national championships in Hastings on January 17. Having already claimed the NZ Men’s U20 Triple Jump title in 2023, and placing third in the Senior Men’s event at the NZ Championships in March 2025 in Dunedin, Ryan has a good chance at another podium finish in Hastings - possibly even improving on his March result, Michael said.

AAC athletes were also part of the MAC team that performed extremely well at the NZ Secondary Schools National Championships in Hastings early this month (December 5-7). Despite hot temperatures (33C) and very gusty winds.

Phoebe Laker, competing in her first year in the Senior Girls category, ran an outstanding 400m final. 

Battling strong headwinds for most of the race, Phoebe led up until the final meters, where Boh Richie, NZ’s Senior Women’s 800m champion (18, Year 13 at St Peter’s College, Cambridge), finally pulled ahead to win in 55.04s. 

Phoebe finished less than half a second behind (in 55.48s) and Zita Meo of Napier Girls’ High School took third place.

Phoebe’s personal best is 53.87s, set earlier this year when she claimed the Australian Girls Under 17 national title in April. 

“Given the tough conditions at Hastings, improving on that time was unlikely to happen,” Michael said.

“However, she has the great satisfaction that her performances this season have earned her selection in the 2025 NZ Secondary Schools team. It means she’ll be able to wear the NZSS black singlet at upcoming Summer Classics events in the new year - a fine way to close out 2025 and another step-up nationally for this promising Year-12 MAC athlete.”

Meanwhile, Ryan Enoka, in his final year at MAC, competed in both the Senior Boys’ Discus and Hammer Throw events in Hastings. He achieved personal bests in both disciplines, with a notable fourth place in the hammer throw.  

Lillian Lake, a Year 9 student at MAC, set a personal best time in the junior girls’ 100m quarterfinals in Hastings, while Ruby Swamy, also Year 9, placed 10th in the junior girls' Under-16 long jump, finishing in the top half of the field. 

“Both these young athletes gained valuable experience in competing at the national level for the first time, where estimated crowds of more than 5,000 people attended the championships each day during the weekend,” Michael said.

“Now back in Wānaka, these athletes, alongside their teammates, will begin their holiday training block at the well-prepared Three Parks Track, gearing up for the key competitions in the new year.”

PHOTOS: Supplied