Northland's Colleen Brunker showed exceptional determination and courage in winning her second gold medal at the North Island Masters' Athletic Championships at Inglewood.
Following a review of weights of Masters' throwing implements for age-groups from 75 years upwards, the 79-year-old Brunker aim at the championships - before turning 80 and moving
from the 75-79 age-group into the 80-84 age-group - was to establish new marks with the reduced weights that would be hard to beat.
"I had gone down [to Inglewood] with the idea of making the marks really hard for the next person coming in because I will be out of this age-group next time," she said.
Her gold medal shot put went well.
"I did my best shot put I've done all season. I was so pleased with the shot, I thought this is my weekend all right," she said.
While waiting for her turn in the hammer throw, Brunker helped out - returning hammers for the next competitor in the age-groups preceding hers. But an off course hammer hurtled through part of the protective cage that had been damaged by vandals, landing on her foot.
Despite enduring excruciating pain, Brunker completed her six throws in the hammer competition - to earn her second gold.
"I couldn't turn my heel - I just put my damaged foot behind and just stood and threw - I did 20m, then 21m," she said, "but it should have been about 27m," she added.
That ended the championships for Brunker whose injury was later diagnosed and treated at the New Plymouth Hospital. To her relief there were no broken bones, just painfully damaged soft tissue.
The other eight Northlanders amassed 28 gold, seven silver and two bronze medals.
Wini Pepene, competing in the women's 80-84 age-group, won seven golds and established a NZ W80-84 javelin record; Val Babe, W70-74, had a clean sweep of six golds; Barbara Austin, W65-64, also had a clean sweep of six golds, including a North Island record in the weight throw; Beth Macleod, W65-69, won one gold and three silvers; Colin Macleod, M65-69, won silver and bronze; Nancy Bowmar, W60-64, won three gold, two silver and one bronze; and 53 year-old Ian Calder won three golds and one silver, in the M50-54, from 800m to 5000m.
