Western Bay of Plenty schools shared the accolades at the New Zealand Track and Field Championships, reflecting the benefits of having excellent coaching and the All Weather Athletics Track at Tauranga Domain.
Individually, the stars were Mount Maunganui College's Kodi Harman, who not only set a new Senior Boys 200m record of 21.39 seconds, winning the event with ease, he made it a double with the 100m, which was won with the same ease.
Several weeks ago, Harman looked like he would not be ready.
However, with racing both on the track and beach sprint events, coach Todd Blythe, a one-time New Zealand National Junior Men's 100 record holder, must now wonder how good his young charge will be. Blythe's trademark fast start is also part of Harman's attributes. Sophie Millar was eighth in the Senior Girls 400m for Mount College.
Like Harman, Tauranga Girls' College's Amy Robinson won the Junior Girls 100m title in 12.52 seconds to double with an impressive long jump victory, with 5.45m marked by the best four distances in her competition. It was backed up by second in the 80m hurdles, when finishing second to Hamilton Girls' High School's Mikaela Jefferson, who recorded 11.99 seconds to Robinson's 12.02 seconds.