Alec McNab Photo/File
The curtain came down on the 2016 Whanganui Schools Athletic Championships at Tuesday's club night when the hammer, 300 metre hurdles and steeplechase were contested. The completion of the championships allows analysis of results and also final selection for the North Island Schools Championships in Auckland on April 2-3.
When I was a selector for New Zealand Secondary Schools I was never worried about selecting teams but always found the request to name "an athlete or athletes of the meet" much harder and like any such award was never going to satisfy all. With that in mind it is perhaps strange that in this column I am attempting to name a male and female athlete of the championships.
As a selection group tasked with such a decision we often looked at those who had broken records. However, as we all know some records are longer standing and harder to achieve than others. We often looked at multiple winners. However, some combinations are harder to achieve than others and often the result depends on the depth of the field. Distance runners are of course by the nature of their events under a real disadvantage. Whatever the problems of such comparisons I have chosen to look at multi event winners.
Lexi Maples featured in the senior girls with six titles, not unexpectedly because a heptathlete demonstrated real versatility (shot, javelin, high jump, 100m hurdles, 100m and 200m). Oliver O'Leary has never done a combined events but considering his versatility perhaps he might consider this. He also won six titles, five on the main day of competition and the 300m hurdles this Tuesday. The titles came in 200m, 400m, 800m, high jump, 100m hurdles and Tuesday's long hurdles.
Genna Maples won four junior titles and this would probably have been five had she not been disqualified at the start of the 100m. She won the 200m, long jump, high jump and triple jump. All but the high jump were won with national class performances albeit wind aided.
Jane Lennox also won four titles but she did it the hard way. She ran 3000m, 800m and 1500m last Wednesday and the 2000m steeplechase this week. She dominated all four events running from the front too. She set a personal best over 800m and ran a truly national class steeplechase. Had she not faltered over the final water jump she would certainly have set a new best in a race that she won by 20 seconds. That is not to detract from Year 10 athlete Caitlyn Alabaster who ran an eight-second PB for second with a national class effort.
Logan Henry impressed in the junior boys winning the 100m, 80m hurdles, triple and high jumps, narrowly losing the long jump to Rangitikei College's Taneroa Cootes-Wellington. Henry's high jump and triple jumps were particularly meritorious. He further improved on the triple jump at Tuesday's club night.
We have the candidates and it is decision time. In the boys I have no doubt that Oliver O'Leary (Collegiate) was the male athlete of the championships. He demonstrated versatility and also excellence in particularly hurdles, high jump and 800m.
The girls was harder to pick with the Maples sisters making a strong bid.
I have though, opted for Jane Lennox (Collegiate) because of the endurance and quality of performance.
The World Indoor Championships made for compulsive viewing. There was drama, camaraderie, close competition and lofty performances. New Zealand Team had a great meeting with three medals (one gold and two bronzes) and a great 5th from Eliza McCartney in the vault). Picking a New Zealand athlete of the meet would be an easy decision. Thomas Walsh dominated the men's shot, giving a great kick start in an Olympic year.