Classic form

HONOURED: Whanganui 14-year-old Tayla Brunger (centre) has been asked to set the pace for an Olympian this weekend after winning the junior 400m at the Colgate Games in Hastings.

The Children's section of Athletics Wanganui made a big impact at the Colgate Games at Hastings over the weekend.

The team returned with five gold medals and a bronze among some other impressive first up performances at the largest children's athletic meeting in New Zealand.

The leading medal winners are ready for the step up to the Classic meetings over the next 12 days. The first of these is the Potts Classic this weekend at the Hastings venue of the Colgate Games. The second is our home event next Tuesday at Cooks Gardens with the Classic Tour ending in Wellington on Friday, January 20.

While the leading medal winners in Hastings make their first steps in senior ranks other Whanganui athletes competing at Colgate will be running at Cooks Gardens in the popular "Fastest kid on the Block".

The qualifiers representing Whanganui suburbs have already qualified in preliminaries held around parks in Whanganui last month and will step on to the Cooks Gardens track as part of the Cooks Classic.

Genna Maples continued her outstanding run of success taking gold in the 13-year-old 100m, 200m, long jump, anchored the successful relay team and took bronze in high jump. This was her first high jump since last February.

Maples makes the step up in Hastings at the weekend when she competes among women athletes in long jump and 100 metres. She has been unbeaten in 100 metres this season and will relish being among stronger, older athletes in Hastings.

If Maples can reach the final (there are three qualifying heats with real depth to the field including an Australian visitor) she will have done extremely well. Later she will run with her school training partner Tayla Brunger in the 2x100m relay.

At the Cooks Classic Maples will compete in the Youth 100 metres (Under 18) which is closer to her own age group. She will return to long jump, an event she finished second in at New Zealand Schools. She and Brunger will again combine in 2x100 metres providing Brunger recovers from injury.

Brunger has a totally different role in Hastings at the Potts Classic when she has been asked to set the pace for Olympian Angela Petty. Brunger won the New Zealand Schools 400 metres at junior level in December setting a Collegiate senior record.

Although carrying an injury which reduced her programme at the weekend she was able to win the 400 metres in the 14-year-old age group and also ran in the winning 4x100 metre relay. Brunger should be able to comfortably set the pace that Petty requires.

The other two in the winning relay team look set to make big advances in the sport. Cullinane student Makia Matthews (14), although small in stature is big in heart and as she matures has an exciting future. She holds a reserve place for the youth 100 metres next Tuesday. The other relay gold medal winner was Paris Munro (12) who starts at Whanganui High School this year. Munro ran a gutsy debut 1500 metres to finish 7th in a large field and the relay medal was just reward for her hard work. Munro will be in the Fastest Kid on the Block next Tuesday.

The Classic series not only caters for senior elite but provides opportunities for leading juniors including the 27 strong Aspiring Athletes selected from the New Zealand Secondary Schools to come on the annual tour to all three Classics. Whanganui is represented by Grace Godfrey , Olivia Seymour and Lexi Maples. Genna Maples and Tayla Brunger have been invited as young guests to the first two meets.