Athletics: Famous name among talented Bay athletes

Libby Charlton, 10, Mitchell Snell, 11, Wesley Akeripa, 11, athletes from the Hastings Athletics Club. Photo / Duncan Brown

Mitchell Snell has yet to meet his famous third cousin, New Zealand's Sports Champion of the 20th Century and former middle distance runner Sir Peter Snell.

But the Hawke's Bay athlete who boasts a striking resemblance to the three-time Olympic Games gold medalist and two-time Commonwealth Games gold medalist has a picture of his relative, who is now 75 and United States-based, on his bedroom wall for inspiration. The picture is obviously working as the 11-year-old Reignier School year six student is one of three Hawke's Bay athletes selected in the North Island team to compete against New South Wales in the January 18 and 19 Trans Tasman Challenge at Auckland's Mount Smart Stadium.

His Hastings Athletics Club clubmates, Lucknow School year 5 10-year-old Libby Charlton and Haumoana School Year 6 11-year-old Wesley Akeripa, are the others.

Coincidentally one of Snell's favourite events is the 800m, the one Sir Peter won gold in at the Rome and Tokyo Olympics. The 800m will be one of four events Snell tackles in Auckland and he has a personal best of 2m 32s over this distance.

"Hopefully I'll meet him one day," Snell said of Sir Peter who was one of 24 inaugural members of the International Association of Athletics Federations Hall of Fame announced last year.

Snell will also compete in the 400m, the long jump and the high jump which he ranks as his No.1 discipline. He has personal bests of 1.47m and 4.22m in the high and long jumps.

A third season athlete, Snell, competed at the Colgate Games in Inglewood this year and will travel to the Whangarei Colgate Games in January. He is a regular winner of his school's cross country race and was the overall age group champion at the recent Taradale Districts Primary Schools Sport Day.

The Lindisfarne College-bound Snell is also a handy cricketer, basketballer and soccer player. Like most promising athletes his age, Snell, side steps injuries with ease but should he have a niggle which requires attention he can call on another of his famous relatives.

Snell's father is long-serving Hawke's Bay-based physio Tony Snell who has worked with the Royal New Zealand ballet as well as New Zealand Olympic and Commonwealth Games teams.

A second year athlete, Charlton, will compete in the 100 and 400m sprints in Auckland. She has a personal best of 15.21s for the 100 and one of 1m14s for the 400.

"Beat the Aussies," was Charlton's reply when asked what she hoped to achieve in Auckland.

However she pointed out the North Island team of 120 was selected from 3000 trialists and the New South Wales team from 23,000.

Although it is still early days in her athletics career Charlton said she is likely to make the 400 her main focus in the future. She also plays netball and competes in pony club events.

"Horse riding is good for leg strength," she explained.

Akeripa will tackle the 100 and 200m sprints in Auckland and high jump. His respective personal bests for these events are 13.8s, 28.6s and 1.30m.

Considering Akeripa is a first year athlete his selection is a massive achievement. A big fan of Jamaican sprint champion Usain Bolt, Akeripa, is eyeing two golds in Auckland.

"I want to win the 100 and 200 metres titles," he said.

A surf lifesaving athlete with the Ocean Beach Kiwi club, Akeripa, also does triathlons, plays rugby and cycles.

"Maybe triathlon will be my long-term future," he added.

All three attended trials in Palmerston North as part of the selection process for the Trans Tasman Challenge which alternates between Auckland and Sydney on an annual basis.