Golden heave for Rathkeale

Rathkeale College's Tim Girling-McLean won gold in the junior boys shot put and Wairarapa College's Maria Taylor bronze in the junior girls hammer throw on the opening day of competition at the national secondary schools track and field championships in Hastings on Saturday.
Girling-McLean posted 15.43m to win the shot put title from Sam Ulufonua, of Auckland Grammar, (15.06m) and Milan Pickering, of Avondale College, (14.98m).
Taylor showed she has the family sporting ability by placing third in the hammer throw with a distance of 32.57. She is a sister of Black Cap Ross Taylor. Elka Pilkington, of Westlake High, took the event with a throw of 42.08m and Montaya Wharehinga, of Wainuiomata, was second with 35.87m.
In the senior boys shot put final, Alex Fafeita, of Wairarapa College, was 11th with a put of 14.02m, Jerry Peseta (Wairarapa College) 15th with 13.68m and Dennis Peseta (Wairarapa College) 27th with 10.38m.
The junior girls discus saw Taylor place ninth with 28.56m and Katie Smith (Wairarapa College) 19th with 22.97m while in the seniors boys discus Fafeita was sixth with 48.46m, Jerry Peseta 15th with 28.22m and Dennis Peseta 22nd with 33.83m.
There were several fine performances by Wairarapa athletes on the track too, none more so than that by Stevie Paine (Wairarapa College) who looked in ominous form in winning her junior girls semifinal in 2min 18.29secs. She had earlier cruised through her quarterfinal in third place in 2min 35.42secs.
Tom Quinn (Rathkeale College) also won his semifinal in the juniors boys 800m in 2min 7.94secs after placing second in his quarterfinal in 2min 10.48secs.
Other results included:
Junior girls 100m - Heats: Sian Chapman (Wairarapa College) 1st in 13.29secs, Crystelle Hart (Wairarapa College) 7th in 14.93secs, Laura McKenna (Wairarapa College) 2nd in 13.08secs. Quarterfinals: McKenna 2nd in 13.07secs, Chapman 5th in 13.27secs.
Senior girls 100m - Heats: Mary Williams (Wairarapa College) 8th in 14.85secs.
Senior boys 100m - Heats: Travis Hart (Wairarapa College) 7th in 13.05secs.
Junior girls 200m - Heats: McKenna 1st in 26.57secs, Chapman 3rd in 27.40secs. Quarterfinals: McKenna 2nd in 26.87secs, Chapman 4th in 27.22secs.
Senior girls 200m - Heats: Molly Creagh (Wairarapa College) 6th in 29.07secs.
Junior boys 200m - Heats: Bevan Brown (Rathkeale College) 7th in 28.79secs, Dhruv Raman (Rathkeale) 5th in 26.16secs.
Junior girls 400m - Quarter-finals: Mikayla Pearson (St Matthew's Collegiate) 4th in 1.03.87, Tessa Laven (St Matthew's Collegtiate) 3rd in 1.05.23, Samantha Hodgins (Wairarapa College) 6th in 1.09.26.
Senior girls 400m - Heats: Molly Creagh 2nd in 1.02.90.
Junior boys 400m - Quarterfinals: Brown 7th in 58.25secs, Edward Hewitt (Rathkeale College) 1st in 55.95secs, Raman 3rd in 57.44secs.
Senior boys 800m - Heats: Joel Farley (Wairarapa College) 3rd in 2.05.20. Quarterfinals: Farley 6th in 2.02.97.