Dryden back to his best after break

COMEBACK TRAIL:A broken hand delayed his comeback, but on Tuesday Opetini Dryden again demonstrated his outstanding javelin potential. PHOTO/ROBVANDORT

ON A night when most of the Cooks Gardens action was on the sprint track, the outstanding performance came in the javelin where Opetini Dryden threw the spear an impressive 52.80 metres.

Last year at New Zealand Secondary Schools Dryden took the bronze medal in the junior javelin at Cooks Gardens. He took a break from the sport, only throwing in the Collegiate Inter-House and at the Wanganui Schools. He won both events but chose not to compete at either the Athletics New Zealand Championships or at the North Island Schools. A broken hand delayed his comeback but on Tuesday he again demonstrated his outstanding potential and under Richard Drabczynski, Dryden, still only in Year 11, has an exciting future in the sport.

Although all of the track events were sprints or hurdles, the C programme always starts with the popular 2000 metre Road Race that like many Olympic marathons starts and finishes on the track. Seventeen athletes faced the starter and just over six minutes later Louis Hogan entered the stadium (6:05.58) to win comfortably. Year 9 Collegiate athlete Jack Gay finished second with a personal best (6:21.50) some nine seconds ahead of Thomas Conder who also ran a personal best. Jane Lennox was the first female home in a personal best (6:49.26) that bodes well as she prepares for the World Schools Cross Country in Hungary in April.

Harry Symes completed his Collegiate Senior Championship by adding the 300 metre hurdle title with a sound 43.50 second effort. He won the 60 metres five minutes later in 7.25 seconds in the welcome calm conditions. Ruby Redmayne, who has shown real promise as a Steeplechaser, used the hurdles as valuable hurdling work and was rewarded with a win in the absence of pre - race favourite Myah Jex-Blake who missed the even through sickness.

Genna Maples continued her winning ways by winning the 60m and 300m and teaming up with sister Lexi in to win the 2 x 100m. The 300m proved that she has strength as well as speed. Fellow Year 8 student Tayla Brunger also showed outstanding promise by finishing third in the A grade 150m and 300m while Grace Godfrey set a personal best in winning the 150 metres (19.96). Olivia Seymour and Shanti Clarke also impressed in the female sprint events.

The larger fields called for materialised and there were five heats of full lanes in the 60m and a further four heats in the 150m. It was good to see a group of Wanganui High School athletes swelling these fields and it is hoped that these numbers will grow to challenge the traditionally strong Wanganui Collegiate presence. Matt Kleinsmith stood out as an athlete with real promise finishing second in his 150m-heat behind Sam Merson. His school teammate Lochie Steedman finished third.

It was good to see Luke Foster back in action following his serious motor cycle accident on South Beach. It has been a long and painful rehabilitation but he should be encouraged by his first competitive run in 2015 finishing fourth in the 150m and third in his 60m-heat. About 40 Wanganui athletes will be in action at the first regional meeting in Masterton at the weekend. A clash with the Hunterville "Shemozzle" has meant some distance runners and Hunterville athletes will save their action for the two remaining meets. The three-meeting series is vital in the build up to New Zealand Secondary Schools in Timaru at the beginning of December. The second and third meetings are in Palmerston North on November 7 and 21.

The meeting on the November 7 was scheduled for Cooks Gardens but Palmerston North have agreed to host the meeting as Cooks Gardens hosts the Heartland representative match on November 13.