Local athletes once again showed their prowess at a regional level at last weekend’s (February 13-14) Otago Athletics Club championship meet in Dunedin.

Aspiring Athletes Club (AAC) attended the meet with 21 athletes who achieved 52 placings (including multiple wins), 11 personal bests (PBs) and the club finished third overall (to be confirmed) out of 17 clubs attending.

Team manager Kath Nicholson said there were many highlights including 14-year-old Millie East making a clean sweep of the 100m, 200m and 400m for her age group; Georgie Bruce, Niamh Townsend, Millie East and Abby Fisher running a sub 50sec 4x100m (U18 grade); Jackson Rogers jumping 1.83m to win the senior men’s high jump; Niamh Townsend setting new PBs for her 100m (12.59s) and 200m (26.27) despite strong headwinds; and 13-year-old Chantel Thurston, who is participating in her first season of competitive athletics, winning the girls 200m and 400m for her age group, with a new PB(63:55) in the 400m.

Sprint star Abby Fisher celebrated her 17th birthday with the fastest female sprint times of the meet, including a new PB (12:33) in the 100m, in preparation for the New Zealand Track and Field championships in Hastings from March 5-7. 

She will be joined at the national champs by Jackson who also achieved a new PB (23:55) in the 200m and Laura MacCulloch who managed a new PB (2:16:45) during her win in the 800m at the Otago meet.

Kath said her personal highlight was seeing the juniors competing in their first championship event.

“They matched the determination and effort of their senior club mates, while adding their own personal flair with leaps, skips and dips across the finish line,” she said. “Lots of smiles and great team spirit was evident.”

Seven-year-old Jared Enoka collected wins and placings in all of his eight events and Harriet Grant jumped 3.11m to top the 8-year-old girls' long jump.

Other senior athletes to win events or score new PBs included new club member from Singapore, Aaron Fox (14), who dominated the boys’ 100m and 200m sprints for his age group, including a new PB (25.04) for the 200m; Jimmy Knight who cleared 1.45m to win the 12-year-old boys' high jump; Amaya East (12) who won her 800m and achieved PBs in her 200m and 400m races; Georgie Bruce who set a new PB(62.29) in the 400m; and Hunter Tuck with a new PB (2:11.00) for his 800m.

Kath said the meet was run mostly in “really good conditions” at the Caledonian grounds with a warm and gentle tailwind for most events - although there was a big headwind for a few sprint finals.

PHOTO: Supplied