Below-strength team far exceeds expectations

With several leading athletes unavailable, it was a belowstrength Palmerston North Athletic and Harrier Club team that travelled to Hastings to compete in the first round of the central teams competition.

Despite being down on numbers, the team performed well, finishing the day in third place with 103 points, behind Wanganui, whose 162 points meant they just headed off host team Hastings, who finished on 152 points last Saturday.

Team management would be particularly pleased with the performance as many of the team achieved personal bests, some by considerable margins.

The women’s 400 metres was a particularly good race, which club captain Pavinee Watson took out in a personal-best 61.4 seconds.

Watson had earlier in the meet run a best in the 100m.

Kimberley Walsh, a talented 13-year-old, did not let the fact she was the smallest girl in the field and at least two years younger than the rest of the competitors upset her running an impressive 5 minutes 19.96s for fifth place in the 1500m race. Later, our three 13-year-olds, Walsh, Monique Gorrie and Jayde Rolfe, joined Watson to convincingly win the 4x400m relay.

Our high jumpers also produced season bests, with Leah Muetzel clearing 1.62m for second place and Courtney Trow getting over 1.53m for third.

Braydn Popow was another to produce a big personal best, clocking 16m 2.47s for third place in the 3000m track walk. Brayden Grant was fourth in the A grade 100m, in 11.56s, then in a photo finish was just piped for victory in the 400m, finishing second in 50.07s.

A contender for the mostimproved athlete would be Joseph Chamberlain, who continues to churn out personal bests each time he competes.

Saturday was no exception, with him winning the B grade 100m, in 11.83s, then finishing fourth in the 400m, in 52.89s, and eighth in the 200m, in 24.10 – all big personal bests.

Jordan Peters took out the long jump, with a best leap of 6.95m, but I understand that he fouled a couple of bigger jumps and is in good shape to perform well at the Rhythm and Jumps meet.

In the men’s 4x100m, the team only had three sprinters available, so distance runner Theo Purdy stepped in and ran the anchor leg. It certainly wasn’t for a lack of effort on his part that he was unable to hold off the fast-finishing Wairarapa team.

The second round of the teams’ competition is being held at the Manawatu¯ Communuty Athletic Track today.