Multisport gold to Lachie, Matthew at AIMS Games

Gisborne students turned in stand-out performances in the multisport event of the AIMS Games International Sporting Championships yesterday. Gisborne Intermediate’s Lachie Falloon (above) won the Year 8 boys’ title. Pictures by Jamie Troughton/Dscribe Media Services

GISBORNE schools struck gold at the AIMS Games International Sporting Championships in the Bay of Plenty yesterday.

Ilminster Intermediate and Gisborne Intermediate were among the medals in the multisport races at McLaren Falls and the indoor bowls at Mt Maunganui.

Lachie Falloon (Gis Int) won the Year 8 boys’ title of the multisport race, adding it to his Y7 win from 2016.

Falloon completed the 2.4-kilometre run, 3.8km mountain bike and 1km kayak in 29 minutes 33 seconds — 1m 22s ahead of the second-placed competitor.

Matthew Ney (Ilm) won the Y7 boys’ race in 33:18, finishing 15s clear of the field.

Tui Ruifrok (Ilm) was third in the Y7 girls’ race in 36:34 while schoolmate Myah Houthuijzen, who won the Y7 title in 2016, was seventh in the Y8 girls’ race, with Sasha Fergus (Gis Int) ninth.

Both schools also had success in the team categories decided by placings of the top two students from each school.

Ney and Gus Baker (12th) were second in the Y7 boys, Falloon and Coby Irving (23rd) were third in the Y8 boys and Ruifrok and Evelyn Busher (14th) were third in the Y7 girls.

Gis Int were second in the ultimate relay.

Nathan Trowell (Gis Int) provided the other standout performance yesterday.

Trowell made the final of the singles in the indoor bowls in a field of around 300. He was beaten 6-1 5-5 by Niall Vincer of Somerville Intermediate, Howick.

Sian Williams (Ilm) was eliminated in the quarterfinals and Oliver Gillies (Ilm) was knocked out in the last 16 of post-section play.

Manaia Garrett highlighted the efforts of the Tolaga Bay Area School Kuranui contingent competing in the badminton. Garrett was beaten 21-10 21-13 in the final of the Division 5 boys’ singles.

Gis Int’s Zach Rolls was sitting 19th in the stableford section of the boys’ golf. He shot 92 off a 23 handicap, for 37 points, on the Tauranga course yesterday.

Xavier Tohiariki-Williams, of Te Kura Kaupapa o Maori o Ngati Kahungunu o Te Wairoa, led the stableford after a sensational 51-point haul.

Ilminster’s boys’ basketball team lost 21-20 to Oakura School, Taranaki, yesterday.

Gis Int’s Jacob Haynes is into the final of the 33rd to 64th positional playoffs in the boys’ squash. He came from two sets down to win his semifinal 9-11 8-11 12-10 13-11 11-8.