Whanganui athletes are primed, fit and ready for major upcoming assignments

Collegiate's Josephine Perkins set five personal bests in five different events in 10 days. Photo / Rob van Dort

Fourteen-year-old Collegiate athlete Josephine Perkins has had 10 days to remember setting five personal bests in five different events.

As reported in last week's article, Perkins took six seconds off her 1500 metres to be second Collegiate runner home in the teams 1500m in the Porritt Classic in Hamilton.

Three days later at the Centre Championships in Palmerston North she ran a best over 400 metres in 62.89 and on Saturday at the Collegiate Inter House she took four seconds off her best 800 metres to record 2:22.34 for the two-lap journey.

Her personal best exploits did not end there as half an hour later she ran under 45 seconds for the first time (44.79). Perkins also ran in relays and rounded off an outstanding 10 days at club night on Tuesday by taking the pace in the 3000 metres for the first 1000 metres and not surprisingly this was her fifth personal best in 10 days.

Last week's featured athlete Harvey Meyer finally broke Scott Newman's 1985 under 16 Whanganui Collegiate junior High Jump record. Meyer cleared 1.86 metres to better the old mark by a centimetre. This was one of two records broken at the annual House Match at Cooks Gardens which was won by Grey House last Saturday in front of a large crowd.

The other fell to the in-form Tayla Brunger who took half a second off her own 300 metre record stopping the clock at 39.23. This augurs well as she attempts to qualify for the World Junior Championships over 400 metres.

At club night on Tuesday Brunger backed this up with a well-run 800etres (2:16.16) followed by a classy 200m in 25.03 (just .01 outside of her best). Brunger is clearly coming into form as she heads for the New Zealand and Australian Championships.

Genna Maples has had a difficult start to the season but there have been encouraging signs of a return to both form and confidence. On Saturday she won the House 200 metres and rescued her long jump after two no jumps with an encouraging 5.35 metre effort under pressure. Her relay legs in both the 4 x 100 and in the Swedish Relay (300m leg) were outstanding bringing victory to her Harvey team in both.

On Tuesday Maples ran well against Brunger to record 25.69, the fastest for some time. 400 metre-800 metre runner Emma Osborne was third (26.57) with New Zealand Championship bound Kyra Engel in fourth.

Race walker Lucas Martin continues to set records. On Tuesday walking in the club 3000 metres running race he took another big slice off his own Collegiate record of 13:27.78.

Only a fortnight ago he walked the longer 5000 metres breaking the record standard for the distance by over a minute with a time that will be extremely competitive in Australia next month when he makes his international debut.

At the House Meet on Saturday Martin showed that he can run as well as walk competing over 1500m, steeples and 800m setting a big best over 800 metre (2:10.74) in a race won by New Zealand under-16 triathlon bronze medal winner Hunter Gibson.

The Collegiate event followed the vibrant Whanganui High School Championships two days earlier on Thursday, a meeting covered separately. It was fitting that Sophie Andrews who dominated throws events at the High School meet should be one of the first winners from the new cage only finished the evening before the High School Sports.

Andrews was part of a team led by Paul Duxfield and Tony Bayler with his son club captain Travis Bayler, with help of many others that the cage was finally completed as darkness fell on Wednesday on the eve of the championships.

It was Cullinane's turn on Monday this week with Whanganui Girls College and Whanganui City College still to come over the coming days. The leading athletes from all the local schools compete at the Whanganui Secondary Schools at Cooks Gardens on Wednesday, March 18 from which a Whanganui Schools team will be selected to compete at the North Island Schools Championships at the start of April in Hamilton. The North Island Schools will bring the curtain down on a busy 2019 -2020 season.