Multisport: Six return on talent pathway

Samantha Polovnikoff has again been invited to Educare Northland Sports Talent Hub. Photo / File

Six athletes from last year's Educare Northland Sports Talent Hub and Pathway to Podium programme will take part again this year.

Jack Ding (badminton), Samantha Polovnikoff (hockey), Imogen Hull (athletics), Luther Cronin (hockey), Amanda Still (athletics) and Daniel Gaualofa (parafed swimming) will return after reaping the benefits of last year's programme.

Ady McKenzie

The talent programme, now in its second year, aims to provide support services to talented local athletes in the pre-high performance phase of their sporting pathway.

Last year, 13 Northland athletes took part in the inaugural talent hub.

Of the six athletes returning for 2015, several have had excellent achievements in the last 12 months with three of them making their New Zealand representation debut.

Polovnikoff was selected for the NZ Future Black Sticks team, Ding was selected for the U19 NZ badminton squad and played in the recent Oceania Champs and Gaualofa travelled to the US representing New Zealand in the Para Swimming team at the Pan Pacific Champs.

Northland Sports Talent Hub programme co-ordinator Ady McKenzie will again be providing support and expertise to the athletes.

"It is an excellent way for our students to learn practically and get experience in working with elite athletes," she said.