Athletes get a head start on success

Promising young 400m athlete Shannon Geary has been selected in the Pathway to Podium elite athlete programme. Photo / Supplied

A new intake of talented young athletes has been named to take part in the second year of the Hawke's Bay Pathway to Podium programme.

Athletes Shannon Geary and Georgia Hulls, kayaker Elise Legarth, netballer Kimora Poi, para swimmer Kate McKelvie and swimmer Ruby Adsett.

The six emerging athletes will follow the paths of Regan Gough and Bobbi Gichard who are already making a mark on the world sporting scene. The pair have graduated to carded high-performance level.

Marcus Agnew is the talent development project co-ordinator for Sport Hawke's Bay and the driving force behind the Pathways to Podium elite sports initiative, which is designed to close the gap between high-level community participation and high-performance sport.

It's a joint initiative with Sport Hawke's Bay, EIT, High Performance Sport New Zealand and Sport New Zealand.

Mr Agnew wants to harness Hawke's Bay's talent for the international stage.

He said in a recent interview with Radio Sport that the Bay had made some big gains in the last few years identifying young talent.

"We are doing pretty well for what we have got. Look at the Olympics - we do very well for the size of the population. That being said, there is still plenty of room for improvement."

He said physical prowess is not as desired as an ability to learn and grow over time.

"This is what we try to spot and develop in an athlete so they can kick on and fulfil their potential."

He hopes the programme will act as a feeding project for talent and that each region will develop their own programmes.

Promising 400m runner Shannon Geary, from Napier Girls', said she was very privileged to be a part of the programme for a second year.

"I count myself very lucky, the programme taught me how to live as an athlete and is a great head start for us."

The 17-year-old said she developed close relationships with the other athletes in the programme and after working together there is a real sense of camaraderie within the team.

"We are all in the same boat. It's great to know so many talented young athletes."

She said Mr Agnew had done a fantastic job bringing the initiative to the Bay.

"He's a really nice guy and is a great manager."

Her ultimate ambition is to represent the New Zealand athletic team at the Commonwealth or Olympic games.

The selection was carried out by High Performance Sport New Zealand.

RISING STARS

The six athletes to join the Pathway to podium programme are:

* Shannon Geary - athletics 400m

* Elise Legarth - kayak

* Kimora Poi - netball

* Kate McKelvie - para swimming

* Ruby Adsett - swimming

* Georgia Hulls - athletics 100/200m