Thrower adds to school's silverware

Track and field

National age-group representative Alex Fafeita spearheaded the Wairarapa challenge on the opening two days of action at the national secondary schools track and field championships in Dunedin.

Fafeita, from Wairarapa College, contested three field events in the senior boys section and came away with silver medals in the hammer throw, discus and shot put.

His best throw in the hammer of 64.83m saw Fafeita take the runner-up spot behind Mathew Bloxam of Orewa College, who threw an impressive 73.47m. Tom Quinn (Rathkeale College) was fifth with a distance of 45.29m.

Bloxam had two fouls on his first two attempts and after a nervous third effort his fourth throw flew out to 72.74m to break the 25-year-old championship record and set New Zealand 16 and 17 years records. And his next attempt went even further to 73.46m.

He is now ranked 14th in the world in the under-18 age group and his winning throw qualified him for the world youth championships in Ukraine next year with almost 6m to spare.

Fafeita threw 50.91m in the discus, placing second behind Richard Calister (Westlake Boys) who recorded 53.76m. Tim Girling-McLean (Rathkeale College) was 15th with a throw of 40.12m.

Bloxam picked up his second title in the shot put with 18.32m. Fafeita was second with 17.44m and Girling-McLean seventh with 15.69m.

In the junior girls hammer throw Emma Kruszona (Wairarapa College) placed fifth with 39.30m and Grace Quinn (Solway) ninth with 26.79m while Katie Smith (Wairarapa College) was ninth in the senior girls' discus with a throw of 27.56m.

On the track Alison Andrews-Paul (Wairarapa College) and Molly Creagh (Wairarapa College) qualified for the final of the junior girls and senior girls 800m respectively as did Edward Hewitt (Rathkeale College) in the senior boys 400m.