Newspaper Article 1993 – Six records go in school athletics

Six records go in school athletics

Six records were broken at the Hawke’s Bay-Gisborne secondary schools athletics championships at Nelson Park, Hastings, on Saturday.

Meeting organiser Graham Seatter said some fine performances capped an excellent meeting.

All six records fell in track events – two to Sacred Heart, Napier, athletes who dominated the girls’ competition capturing nine titles.

Rata Campbell lowered the record for the junior girls 800 metres with a time of 2:21.5. Fellow Sacred Heart athlete Andrea Soanes set a new time for the intermediate girls 80 metres hurdles, winning in 13.1.

Other records to fall were in the senior boys 3000 metres walk where Hasting Boys’ High School’s Tony Sargisson set a new time of 13:02.6, the intermediate boys 100 metres hurdles where T. J. Graham set a record 14.1s, the senior girls 300 metres hurdles where Leah Nichol, Dannevirke, won in 49.2, and the senior girls 3000 metres walk in which Taradale’s Liz Gordon set a new time of 17:01.0.

Seatter said the star of the meeting was probably 14-year-old Sonny Gudgeon, Hastings BHS, who won four titles in the junior boys events.

He was second in the only other event he was allowed to compete in. Gudgeon won the long jump, high jump, and triple jump titles, the discus title and was second in the javelin.

Havelock North High School won the most titles at the Computerland-sponsored meeting, taking eight boys’ titles and six in the girls’ section for a total of 14.

Photo caption –  Sacred Heart College’s Rata Campbell on the way to setting a record for the junior girls’ 800 of 2:21.5. Karen [Caren] Wrenn, also of Sacred Heart, was second.