Shot putters warm up for nationals
Thrower Jack Welsh was the dominant figure in Southland Athletic Championships at Surrey Park over the weekend.
The 19-year-old primed himself for his first national championships as a senior in Hamilton in three weeks by putting in the best marks for the javelin, hammer and discus and coming a close second to his St Pauls club mate Kunal Trehan in the shot put.
Trehan recorded a distance of 13.24m and finished less than a metre ahead of Welsh (12.35m).
Trehan, who is also competing in the shot put at the New Zealand Championships, had to put out a 76cm PB to head off his younger opponent.
However, Welsh was not to be headed in the other throws, taking the hammer with 35.43m, discus 41.80m and javelin 44.25m.
The Southland shot putters will be up against Tom Walsh and Jacko Gill in Hamilton and have no illusions about giving the Olympians a hurry up, but they both look forward to the experience of competing with and against two of the world’s best throwers.
Anna Skerrett, 15, impressed with her shot put of 12.32m, her second best mark ever, while Emma Ryan who has graduated to the heavier U20 weight shot had 10.37m.
Both are nationally in grades.
Dyani Shepherd Oates had the best women’s hammer throw of 42 metres.
The Fiordland 17-year-old is currently ranked third in the ranked highly their respective country in the WU18 event.
The outstanding sprinter of the championship title must surely go to 15-year-old Dannika Collins who dominated the women’s 100 and 200 metres, posting a slick 12.85s in the shorter event and 26.36s for the 200m.
It was no surprise Atipa Mabonga won the triple jump with the national secondary school champion and record holder recording a wind assisted 11.75m.
She followed this up with a 5.73m winning long jump at the Otago Championships the next day, and while wind assisted it is her best mark so far this season.
Winton club members Jack Beaumont, Liam Turner and Anton Schroder were also in winning form at the Otago Championships.
Beaumont convincingly won the senior 3000m in 8:38.62, Schroder the javelin with 49.63m and Turner the 400m in a PB 50.06 and 800m in 1:57.48 while Gore’s Emma Hopcroft took out the WU20 long jump, measuring 5.32m.