Competing with best in North Island

The focus goes on our young athletes as Hamilton plays host to the 2019 North Island Colgate Games on Friday.

Palmerston North Athletic and Harrier Club will be represented by 28 athletes and both the Feilding and Ashhurst clubs will also be represented.

The Colgate Games offers competition for children from 7 through to 14 years of age. The children 7 to 9 only have sectional heats, with no finals. The older athletes have to qualify for finals through heats.

Many people make the Colgate Games part of their family holiday.

Looking at the local entries, there are three 7-year-olds entered. Kobe Dorn will compete in the 60 metres, 100m, long jump and shot put. Beau Kennedy has entered the 60m, 100m, 200m, long jump and shot put, while Joshua Murdoch will be in the 100m, 200m, long jump, discus and shot put.

Aidan Mace is our sole 8-yearold and will be busy competing in 60m, 100m, long jump, discus and shot put. Our 9-year-olds will have Lucy Cadzow sprinting in the girls 60m, 100m and 200m and jumping in the long jump while Ashton Dorn will compete in the boys’ version of the same events. Caleb Murdoch will join Ashton in the 100m, 200m and long jump and will also compete in the discus and shot put.

There is an exciting group of 10-year-old girls. Tayla Cornwall will contest the longer races, plus the long jump and high jump. Samantha Greenwood runs in the 100m and 200m sprints and has the long jump and discus as her field events. Juliet Mckinlay competes in the high jump and long jump, as well as the 100m, 200m and 400m, while Tayler Trow will contest the high jump, long jump, shot put and the 100m and 800m.

In the 11-year-olds section, Hannah Cadzow will contest the 200m and 400m races, plus the long jump. Hayley Cornwall is one of our better-performing athletes over longer distances, so we expect her to do well in the 400m, 800m and 1500m. She will also jump in the long jump and high jump. Hunter Kennedy will compete in the 100, 200 and 400m sprints, plus the long jump and high jump. Ciaran Mace has the 200m and the 1500m as his races on the track. He will compete in discus, high jump and long jump. Ben Murdoch will compete in the discus, long jump and shot put.

Our 12-year-olds include Brianna Gorrie, a sprinter who will start in the 100m, 200m and 400m. Amber Trow has a mixture of events, including the high jump, long jump, shot put and 80m hurdles. Johnny Rouxell is competing in the sprint treble of 100, 200 and 400m races, as well as the 80m hurdles and high jump. Alex Willis is a good chance in the 1200m race walk and 80m hurdles.

We have hopes of picking up medals in the 13-year-old group. Monique Gorrie has been one of the standout athletes at club meetings and will be hard to beat in both the 200m and 400m races. Kimberley Walsh is expected to do well in the 400m, 800m and 1500m races. Forbes Kennedy contests the 100m, 200m and 400m track races, and the long jump and high jump.

Sophie Williams is favoured to win the 14-year-olds 100m and 200m races. Lucas Martin is expected to do well in the 2000m walk. Harvey Meyer competes in the 800m, 1500m and high jump. Angela Jukes will run in the 100m, 400m and 800m races.

There are also relay teams. The South Island Colgate Games are being held in Dunedin the following week and two of our athletes, Chloe and Stella Groube, will compete there.