Athletics: North trio end season in top form

Amanda Still ran a personal best in the 800m. Photo/File

A trio of Northlanders capped a strong season by impressing at the North Island Secondary Schools Championships with one breaking a championship record.

Athletics Whangarei's Scott Gregory hurled the hammer 49.32m to smash the old record, although coach Ian Babe noted he threw further at the ASB Northland Secondary Schools' Athletics Championships late last month.

"That was a pretty good effort," Babe said of Gregory's throw. "He's actually thrown further than that up here where he threw 53m at the Northland Secondary Schools."

Babe added that Gregory's performance earlier this month might have been his last for the season but it did not mean he was going to be taking a break over winter.

He said Gregory and his throwing coach, Robin Ball, would be looking to progress through the off-season.

"Scott is going to train really well over winter because that's his main event, he's actually really promising.

"He'll always do the multi-events like shot put and discus for variety but he's more suited to the hammer. He's doing well."

Also doing well at the North Island Championships was promising runner Amanda Still.

The youngster ran a personal best in the 800m, which meant she finishes inside the top 10 for under-18 runners in New Zealand.

"It's quite pleasing that in the last three years she has just got gradually quicker and quicker in her main event the 800m," Babe said.

"Amanda is going to have a good winter and hide in the tea tree up here. She's going to learn a bit more on how to train and we'll just consolidate her development.

"We're going to start gym work now she's 16, that's what we've been waiting for but we've got to be patient and bring them through gradually. I've got a couple of girls who will work together over the winter."

Another to do well at the North Island event was Alexander Hull.

Babe said Hull finished as the second junior in the 3000m run, and looked to have a lot of promise.