Whanganui athletes eclipse all other sporting codes with 64 podiums at three major meets

Genna Maples has 9 individual medals (5 gold 4 silver), 6 relay medals (4 gold 2 silver), North Island long jump record and part of the NZSS Junior record-holding 4 x 100m team.

Golf and Tennis have their Majors by which leading players are remembered and judged.
In New Zealand track and field we have our own "Majors".

At school age there are three "Majors" over the season: The Schools Championships in December, The Athletic New Zealand Championships in early March and the North Island Schools in early April.

The first and last are for school athletes only. There have been valiant attempts to add a North Island and South Island Championships for post school athletes in December, but this is still a work in progress.

The format of the three championships are all different.

At New Zealand Schools athletes represent their own school while at North Island they represent Whanganui Schools. At the Athletic New Zealand champs athletes represent their Centre - for our athletes this is Manawatu Whanganui.

Last week I looked at New Zealand rankings. This week I will reflect on medal winners especially the gold medal winners at the Majors. Whanganui athletes again punched significantly above their weight with no fewer than 64 podium places including 28 individuals or relay who topped the podium.

Twice Whanganui athletes won three individual gold medals.

At New Zealand Secondary Schools Genna Maples won the 100 metres, 200 metres and Long Jump and ran in two winning relay teams including a New Zealand Schools record-breaking 4 x 100 team.

Tayla Brunger gained a remarkable treble at the North Island Championships (100 metres, 200 metres and 400 metres) and she also ran in two winning relay teams). This was the start of a great run of form for Brunger who ended her Californian Tour at the weekend with two more wins (200m and 400m) with a tour record of five wins in six races.

Maples gained the most individual medals of any Whanganui athlete with nine. At the New Zealand Championships, she won the Long Jump with a New Zealand ranking topping 5.93 metre leap and backed this up with silver medals in both 100 metres and 200 metres. Maples repeated the Long Jump win and North Islands and again was second over the short sprints behind team mate Sophie Williams.

Williams has had a stellar 2019. At the start of the year she won the Colgate 100 metres and 200 metres with fast times demonstrating considerable progress from her New Zealand Schools debut in December where she took silver in the junior 100m and bronze over 200 metres. At the New Zealand Championships, she only contested the 100 metres which she won with a very impressive 11.86 seconds.

At North Island she broke the 200 metre Intermediate record and was inside the old record over 100m but with a wind slightly over the allowable limit. Williams ran in five medal winning relay teams.

Liam Back was injured at New Zealand Schools and was overseas at the time of the North Island Schools. However, at the New Zealand Championships he retained his under 18 1500 metre title and went into new territory to win his first 800 metre title to highlight his immense potential.

Emma Osborne won the 400 metres at both the New Zealand Schools and the New Zealand Championships. Injury kept her out of North Islands. Her ability to dig deep in the home straight has made Osborne a formidable competitor.

Two minutes after Osborne's School's success Travis Bayler (High School) won the Senior Schools 400 metres with a dramatic run in the home straight. Bayler also contributed to the medal winning at all three Championships. Bayler won bronze over 800 metes at North Islands behind winning Whanganui team mate Joseph Sinclair. Sinclair also took silver at the New Zealand Schools.

Ana Brabyn won the New Zealand Schools junior 800 metres in impressive manner and at the end of the season took silver in both the 400 metres and 800 metres both with personal best times. Brabyn ran in the record breaking 4 x 100m junior relay and was in three other medal winning combinations.

Ashleigh Alabaster won her Intermediate Steeplechase at North Islands and took silver medals in the other two majors. Andres Hernandez won the senior Steeples at North Islands backed up with bronze in 3000 metres and a further silver at the New Zealand Championships.

Lucas Martin has made a big impact in the walk scene and the 14-year-old took silver at both the New Zealand Schools and North Island. He went one better at the New Zealand Championships in the under 20s backed up with a bronze in his debut 10,000 metres.

Sophie Redmayne won her maiden title at North Island over 300 metre hurdles backed up by bronze at New Zealand in the under 20 400 metre hurdles and was a major contributor to successful relay teams. Connor Munro was the other Whanganui winner at North Island (Pole Vault).

Next week I will reflect on our other medal winners.