Te Koha Kete-Kawhena, left, with Faith Sola (Wellington) and Francesca-Lee Asiata (Auckalnd). who were the top three in the discus at the North Island Secondary School Athletics Championships.
Te Koha Kete-Kawhena, left, with Faith Sola (Wellington) and Francesca-Lee Asiata (Auckalnd). who were the top three in the discus at the North Island Secondary School Athletics Championships.
In only her first year as a high school student, Te Koha Kete-Kawhena has already represented Te Puke High School at North Island level.
The Year 9 athlete recently competed at the North Island Secondary Schools Athletics Championships in Palmerston North — gaining two podiums in the three events she entered.
Te Koha qualified from the Waikato-Bay of Plenty championships in the 100m, shot put and discus.
She was third in both the shot put and discus — throwing a 31.04m personal best in the discus.
“In my 100m, I slipped off my starting blocks and I was quite disappointed in that. I didn’t get a very fast time and knew I could do better,” she says.
She hasn’t yet felt the need to choose between track or field events.
“I like doing a lot of the events, I’ve always done that,” she says.
“Maybe when I am 14 or 15 years old I will need to start making a decision on whether I do track or field — at the moment I would lean towards track — I’d try and do both, but probably track [would be the focus].”
Te Koha has been part of Te Puke Athletics Club since she was 2.
“I just like the people,” she says. “I’ve made heaps of friends and I made my best friend through the sport. And everyone’s so supportive.”
Te Koha says she loves her coach, Ethney Barnaby.
Te Puke's Te Koha Kete-Kawhena competing in the discus.
“She’s one of the main reasons I aspire in my athletics, but also my parents [Paulette Oldeman and Graeme Kete-Kawhena], they’ve put a lot of work into my athletics, they always put my sports first — my parents coach me on my throwing quite a bit.”
With the athletics season over, Te Koha has turned to her winter sports — netball and rugby.
Last year she was a member of the Te Puke Intermediate School AIMS Games netball team and was part of the Te Puke girls Tai Mitchell rugby team.
“The rugby was just a little bit of a muck-around. The teacher put me in the Tai Mitchell team, and I’m just carrying that on. I’m playing this year.”
Later in the year she will again represent the school at the national secondary school’s athletics championships in Christchurch where she hopes to go under 13 seconds for the 100m, top 35m in the discus and beat 12m for the shot put.
Then in January, she will attend the Colgate Games where she will also compete in the 200m and long jump.
