Alec McNab talks athletics

ATHLETICS:It has certainly been a busy week in athletics.
I am writing this week's article in Auckland where I have been watching two of our leading younger athletes Ben Osborne and Gareth Benic competing in the John Walker Junior Mile raced for by a field of 11 of New Zealand best junior athletes.
The event was won for the second consecutive year by the very promising Waikato athlete Shafad Salad who has assembled a most impressive middle distance curriculum vitae over the summer. This includes success in all events from 800m to 5000 metres, including steeplechase and road races.
Benic and Osborne both finished near the tail of the field but can gain considerable satisfaction by gaining personal bests over 1500 metres in the mile race and also have gained invaluable experience - including confirmation that however well an athlete runs the second half of a race, he can only produce a good finishing position if the athlete is in contact of the event leaders over the first half of the journey.
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There was no shortage of spectators on Saturday evening at the Wanganui Collegiate School house athletic match where a crowd of more than 1000 enjoyed the excitement of team athletics.
Hadfield House finally took the trophy from holders Harvey in the final relay of the evening to loud support from supporters in the type of excitement and support we hope will be repeated in a fortnight's at the New Zealand track and field championships.
Although Saturday evening was about team performance, there were some outstanding individual performances by athletes preparing for the NZ championships.
William Ridley, who a week earlier had taken a bronze medal in the NZ under 17 octathlon broke the Collegiate School javelin record with a huge 58.07 metre effort.Sarah Tatton stepped down from 800 metres to break the school 300-metre record, breaking Julia Nazzer's time set in 2000. Nazzer went on to take up a track scholarship in the United States.
Daniel Natusch jumped 11 centimetres beyond the World Youth qualifying mark to be ruled out by a foul with his foot breaking the foul line. Libby van Zanten broke the junior long jump record. ++++
On Tuesday the Athletic Cub trialled a new team event aimed at year nine and intermediate schools. The teams of four competed in an individual event each and combined as a team in two relays in a short 75-minute programme.
St Georges won in both the boys and girls sections and are to be commended on for fielding three teams in each.
The girls was particularly exciting with St Georges finally winning by three points from a spirited effort from St Mary's. In the year nine competition a disqualification in the shuttle relay cost Collegiate a win, losing to Nga Tawa, with Caroline Mellsop from Collegiate and Phillipa Symes for Nga Tawa producing the standout performances. Collegiate School was a convincing winner in the year 9 boys.
Although the event clashed with the Intermediate Schools Triathlon, the club was disappointed by the response but were encouraged by the enthusiastic response of the teams that did attend and intend to further develop this promising concept.
Local athletes will be competing in the Regional Championships in Palmerston North which is the final chance for many to further their claims for a berth in the Manawatu/Wanganui team for the New Zealand Championships next month.
In the next two articles I will preview the New Zealand Championships, which start at Cooks Gardens in two weeks.