Medals should be in strong supply after a powerful contingent of Wairarapa athletes compete at the North Island secondary schools track and field championships at Newtown Park, Wellington this coming weekend. Pacific School Games gold medallist Stevie Paine seems sure to add to her already impressive list of successes on boththe international and national front in the junior girls 800m and will be a leading hope over 300m as well. Tom Quinn has been showing outstanding form over the middle distances this season with personal best times being regularly recorded and he should shine in both the junior boys 800m and 1500m events. Molly Creagh made the final of the girls 16yrs 400m at the New Zealand track and field championships in Wellington last weekend and will compete in the intermediate girls 400m and 200m races on this occasion. Also looking to build on the good form they showed on the track at the nationals will be William Simpson (senior boys 100m and 200m) and April Campbell (intermediate girls 80m hurdles and 100m). Both were medal winners in relay events there and also impressed individually, Simpson making the final of both sprints he contested and Campbell likewise in the 100m hurdles. Laura McKenna has been showing definite promise as a sprinter and could be a "dark horse" in the junior girls 100m and 200m races as could Joel Farley (intermediate boys 400m) and Bevan Brown (junior boys 200m and 300m). The brother-and-sister combination of Alex and Courtenay Fafeita will spearhead the Wairarapa charge in the field events. They will probably compete in discus, shot put and hammer and are quite capable of a top three placing in all of them, Alex in the junior boys section and Courtenay in the intermediate girls. The same programme as that for the Fafeitas will likely to be followed by Josh Greig in the senior boys section and he too should give a strong account of himself in each of the disciplines he contests.
