WIND the clock back to the East Coast North Island Secondary Schools athletics championships in Hastings in March last year.
Back then Karamu High School Year 11 student Nick Palmer was the talk of the meet. He won all three throwing events in the intermediate age group, easily surpassing the selection standard for the following month's North Island championships in all three.
Several texts suggesting Palmer, now 16, would be the next big thing on the Hawke's Bay field event scene came my way. How right those texts were.
Now New Zealand's No 1 under-18 shot putter with a personal best of 18.28m, Palmer is a hot candidate for the Commonwealth Youth Games in the Bahamas in July. Next year's world junior championships in Finland are his longer term goal.
"I'll know after the March open nationals in Hamilton whether or not I'll be going to the Bahamas. One trip which is confirmed and my first overseas trip will be to the Australian national champs in March," Palmer said.