Ellis claims three gold medals

JOHN McGlashan College pupils Courtland Ellis and Geoffrey Kemp were crowned national champions at the New Zealand secondary schools championships in Hamilton over the weekend.

The pair were among an Otago contingent that went north to compete among the 580 pupils participating in the event.

Ellis claimed national titles in the 200m freestyle and 50m and 100m butterfly events in the 16 years and older boys competition.

The teenager also took home six silver medals from the national championships in freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke and medley events.

Kemp secured gold in the 15yearold boys 200m final.

He also won silver in the 200m breaststroke and bronze in the 100m breaststroke and 200m backstroke agegroup categories.

Fellow John McGlashan College pupil Ben Carr added to the school’s medal haul by claiming a bronze medal in his 200m breaststroke final.

The John McGlashan College relay team, consisting of Ellis, Kemp, Carr and Nathan Wolf, won bronze medals in the 200m medley relay and the 200m free relay races.

Columba College pupil Molly Law headed the list of Otago winners in the girls competition with silver medals in the 15yearold girls’ 100m and 200m freestyle finals.

In the same agegroup, Sophie Wilson, of Otago Girls High School, secured bronze in the 100m breaststroke.

In the 16years and older competition, Caitlin Deans, of Columba College, pipped teammate Cecilia Crooks for silver in the 200m freestyle

Crooks took bronze and also won silver in the 400m freestyle final.

Jordan Summers added to the school’s medal tally with a silver medal in the 200m butterfly.

When the weekend’s competition finished, Columba College was ranked the sixth among girls schools competing.

John McGlashan College finished sixth in the standings in the boys competition.