Tauranga's galaxy of young sprinting stars deserved the media attention they got at the track and field nationals in Wellington.
While the shot-put showdown between Jacko Gill and Tom Walsh grabbed the headlines, the real competition was on the track last weekend, with two Tauranga training partners producing a storming 100m final.
Defending champion Joseph Millar, 21, hoped to become just the second New Zealander to win three consecutive senior men's 100m and 200m titles.
He was expected to canter to a win in the 100m final, but Papamoa's Kodi Harman, 18, tore out of the blocks to lead all the way to the 70m mark before Millar just pipped him on the line. Millar ran 10.49 to Harman's 10.54.
Millar added the 200m (21.15) to equal his long-time idol James Dolphin's record. Dolphin was also coached by Millar's Tauranga-based mentor, Kerry Hill.