Southland athletes shine at NZ champs
Green or black? That’s the topic of a lighthearted conversation between Abby O’Boyle’s dad and her coach: which of the two colours would better suit the young Southland athlete.
Her father, Frank O’Boyle, lobbies for green for the sake of his Irish heritage, while coach Lance Smith of Athletics Southland wants black to represent New Zealand.
As for Abby herself, Smith said she keeps a straight face. “‘Don’t worry,’ is what she tells me with a smile,” he said.
You could almost say the talented 15-year-old had the luck of the Irish on her side last week as she claimed four medals at the national track and field championships held in Wellington from Thursday till Sunday.
St Patrick’s Day also fell that weekend, and she was wearing her Irish shamrock.
“I sent dad a photo and I had my shamrock on and he said it was the luck of the Irish,” Abby said.
She won gold in the under-16 800m, high jump and steeplechase events and bagged a bronze in the 1500m. Abby, who attends Verdon College in Invercargill, was thrilled to have won the four medals.
“The 800m was special – that’s been my favourite event for the past couple of years and last year I got bronze in it,” she said. “So to get a personal best and win gold was special. I didn’t expect to medal in the 1500m. It was my last event. I was just like, let’s do it, give it our best and see how we go. I dunno where it came from.”
In the high jump, she jumped 1.60m. “It wasn’t a personal best but would have been nice to win it with a personal best.”
All up, Southland took home six gold, six silver and four bronze medals from the championships. Smith said he was impressed not only by Abby’s efforts but also by the entire Southland team.
“I am proud of all of my athletes. I don’t think there is any differentiation in feeling towards an 11-year-old or a four-time national medallist – otherwise it would indicate favouritism. They are all valuable.
“Abby’s effort is part of her progress and only she can determine the direction of the progress and the speed of it. If she wants it, she can have it.”
He said the squad was a tight-knit bunch and that showed with their support of each other in Wellington.
“The fact that so many of the younger ones got personal bests at the highest level shows that the big contest attitude they have is brilliant. So many athletes, when it comes to the big game, don’t perform as well, and our guys perform better than they have ever done before.”
The other Southlanders to medal included Max McGregor, Sienna Mackley, Will Brown, Ollie Davis, Connor Gilliland, Sara Aynsley, Charlie Scherp, Kennedy Taylor and Tori Peeters, who bagged her eighth national title.
Smith said Sara, who won two medals, gave a special performance.
“It was a completely new experience, and she was in an area she’s never been before and absolutely succeeded in getting big personal bests in the long jump and triple jump.”
The two younger high jumpers getting gold was another highlight, he said.