The athletics season is fast drawing to a close but the good results keep on keeping on for Wairarapa field eventers.
The standout performance at the North Island secondary schools championships in Wellington last weekend was the gold-medal-winning effort of Alex Fafeita in the open boys hammer throw, with 45.59m.
It wasn't
the only impressive result for Fafeita, as he also placed second in the intermediate discus with a throw of 51.61m and fourth in the intermediate boys shot put with 13.41m.
Another excellent result was Maria Taylor's second place in the junior girls discus with a throw of 29.91m. Taylor also performed well in the open girls hammer throw, considering she was the youngest competitor in the field, with a credible 23.85m throw using a hammer heavier than what she is used to.
My own efforts were pleasing, in part, too, a third placing with 40.31m in the senior girls discus being the highlight along with a fifth place in the senior girls shot put with 9.71m. The hammer throw was a shocker, placing fourth with a disappointing 35.18m and I'll be calling on my coach, John Quinn, to help sort out some technical issues before the nationals in Christchurch this weekend.
Two new throwers in the Wairarapa group would have been pleased with their form at the Wellington meet. Ruan Bouwer came fifth in the senior boys javelin with a throw of 50.41m and Jerry Peseta managed sixth in the senior boys shot put with 14.4m. They have both been in serious training for just a few weeks and look promising prospects.
Other Wairarapa throwers in action were Tim Girling-McLean (11.61m in the intermediate boys shot put), Tom Quinn (31.92m in the intermediate boys javelin), Caroline Cooper-Marsh (22.07m in the senior girls javelin), Duncan McCormick (25.87m in the junior boys javelin), Hamana Gorman (25.58m in the junior boys javelin), Shaun Fargher (8.72m in the junior boys shot put), Josephine Surridge (6.62m in the junior girls shot put) and Courtney Hamilton, who threw 24.14m in the senior girls discus and 8.51m in the senior girls shot put. This was Hamilton's first time competing at an all-weather track and throwing out of a cage, and although she found it a bit overwhelming at times she really enjoyed the experience.
