Boys’ High finish third

Manawatu high school swimming teams had success at the New Zealand secondary schools swimming championships in Wellington last weekend.

There were teams from Palmerston North Boys’ School, Palmerston North Girls’ High School, Feilding High School, Freyberg High School, Cornerstone Christian School, Waiopehu College, Dannevirke High School, Horowhenua College, Manawatu College, and Awatapu College.

In all 30 swimmers took to the pool, including para swimmer Christopher Arbuthnott from Boys’ High.

Results were mixed for many, but some excelled, including Arbuthnott, who came away with an impressive nine gold medals in the 200m freestyle, 200m butterfly, 400m freestyle, 50m breaststroke, 200m individual medley, 50m freestyle, 100m breaststroke, 100m butterfly and 100m freestyle.

Others to win gold were: Xavier Hill (Boys’ High) in the 50m and 200m butterfly, Paris Cutler (Freyberg) in the 100m freestyle.

Silver medals were won by Jacob Thompson (Boys’ High) in the 50m and 100m breaststroke, Paris Cutler (Freyberg) in the 50m and 200m backstroke, and the 50m freestyle, and to Kokoro Frost (Boys’ High) in the 200m individual medley and 50m backstroke.

Bronze medals went to Paris Cutler (Freyberg) in the 200m and 400m freestyle and 100m backstroke to round off a sevenmedal campaign; Piper Humphreys (Girls’ High) in the 400m freestyle, Jacob Thompson (Boys’ High) in the 200m breaststroke, and Kokoro Frost (Boys’ High) in the 50m butterfly and freestyle.

The 15-and-under boys also won a silver medal in the medley relay – the team was Ryan Cutler, Hill, Oliver Inman and Frost.

Their impressive medal haul, along with many other fine swims by the remaining members of the Boys’ High team, placed them behind Westlake Boys’ High School and long-time rivals Wellington College, to take third place overall in the boys competition.

The highest ranking by a Manawatu girls team was 14th by Freyberg, which was represented by only four girls.

Manawatu intermediateaged students competed at at theaims Games at Tauranga last week.

There were a small number of swimmers from Palmerston North Intermediate Normal School, Levin Intermediate School, Cornerstone, Whakorongo School and Feilding Intermediate School.

The Aims Games are fast becoming the top junior competition in the country and as such it attracts the top competitors in the age groups 10-13 in New Zealand intermediate schools.

The swimming competition was condensed into two sessions on Monday and Tuesday afternoons and evenings, and these swimmers had to swim back-to-back races in very short order. They did an amazing job. Many swimmers were also entered in team sports across the entire week.

The top performers this year were Hannah Huria from Levin Intermediate, who took home a silver medal in the 100m breaststroke.

Team-mate Tony Lim was eighth in the 50m butterfly.

Others to achieve top placings in the intense competition were: Ashleigh Gunn from Whakarongo, who was seventh in the 100m butterfly and ninth in the 50m butterfly; Lily Martin (PNINS) who was 11th in the 50m breaststroke, making her the first alternate going into the finals on Tuesday evening.

Levi Holman (PNINS) also finished just outside the finals to take 12th in the 200m backstroke and 13th 50m backstroke.