Games golden double

Middle distance runner Briana won the 13 years girls’ 1500 and 800 metres titles. Picture supplied

GISBORNE Athletics Club member Briana Irving continued her record of medal success at the 38th North Island Colgate Games held this year in Palmerston North.

Middle distance runner Briana won the 13 years girls’ 1500 and 800 metres titles.

Her time for the 1500m, four minutes 41.42 seconds, was just 0.67 ahead of Charli Miller of Fairfield and to put some perspective on her performance, it was faster than the Auckland junior championship and junior resident records set in 2006.

Briana completed the double by winning the 800m in 2:20.73, which put her 0.74 in front of Lucy Hegan of Olympic.

The Gisborne flier collected her first Colgate Games medal in 2013 when she was second in the 1500m in the 11yrs age group. In 2014 she was second in the 1500m and third in the 800m.

Last year the Central Federation football representative won the coveted 1500m title in the 12yrs division but missed out on the double when she came second in the 800m.

“Not too shabby,” was how proud mother Belinda described this year’s golden haul.

Two other Gisborne competitors won medals. Pounamu Wharehinga was second in the 10yrs girls’ high jump and Hannah Veitch was third in the 12yrs girls’ high jump.