National glory for Wairarapa athletes

Gerard Hickey took silver in high jump. PHOTO/FILE

CRACK Athletics Wairarapa middle distance athlete Alison Andrews-Paul won two gold medals in the under-20 division at the New Zealand track and field championships held at the Caledonian Ground in Dunedin over the weekend.

Andrews-Paul travelled south in a confident frame of mind after bettering the qualifying mark for the women's 800m for the world junior championships in Poland in July at the Auckland Track Challenge 10 days earlier and she came up trumps in both the 800m and 1500m on this occasion.

Alison Andrews-Paul claimed two gold medals. PHOTO/SUPPLIED

The winning time for Andrews-Paul in the 800m of 2min 8.97sec was slower than the 2.06.84 she registered in Auckland but it was still good enough to give her a margin of almost 5s over second-placed Hannah Miller, of Southland.

It was Andrews-Paul and Miller who also took the first two placings in the 1500m with Andrews-Paul first in 4.36.22, Miller second in 4.39.86 and Sophie Rees (Auckland) third in 4.43.07.

Another member of the Athletics Wairarapa club in Gerard Hickey starred in the men's under-18 high jump where he claimed second place with a leap of 1.83m, beaten only by Oliver Miller (Auckland) who jumped 1.87m. Hickey was also eighth in the under-18 800m with a time of 2.01.30, two places behind his Athletics Wairarapa teammate Max Spencer, who recorded 1.59.90. Spencer was sixth in the 1500m with a time of 4.06.25. The winner, Theo Quax of Auckland, posted a slick 3.52.70.

Alex Howden (Wairarapa Track and Field) was fifth in his heat of the senior men's 100m with a time of 11.29 and was fifth in the final of the 200m, where he clocked 22.96. That event was won by Alex Jordan (Scottish Harriers) in 22.00.

Jonty Morison (Wairarapa Track and Field) was sixth in 11.85 in a heat of the men's under-20 100m and was fifth in the 200m final in 22.61. The winner was Hamish Gill (Auckland) in 21.09. Liam Montgomery (Wairarapa Track and Field) was eighth in a heat of the men's under-18 200m in 23.94 and seventh in a heat of the 400m in 53.80.

Thomas Quinn (Athletics Wairarapa) was fourth in the senior men's hammer throw with a best effort of 46.17m. First place went to Matthew Bloxham (Auckland) with 61.63m. Grace Quinn (Athletics Wairarapa) was ninth in the senior women's hammer throw with 35.52m and fourth in the under-20 division with 34.64m.

William Tait (Wairarapa Track and Field) was eighth in the men's under-20 hammer throw with 34.33m and Cameron Clatworthy (Wairarapa Track and Field) was seventh in the under-18 hammer with 39.69m.