Junior stars make NZ team

YOUNG TALENT: Tom Quinn, Dhruv Raman and Alex Howden (pictured) are off to compete in Rarotonga. PHOTOS/FILE

Wairarapa will provide half the junior men's squad when a New Zealand team competes at the Oceania track and field championships in Rarotonga from June 25-27.

Six under-20 men have been named in the 20-strong Kiwi contingent and three are from Wairarapa - track athletes Alex Howden and Dhruv Raman and field eventer Tom Quinn.

Howden will race over 100m and 200m and is also likely to be part of a 4x100m relay squad.

He broke 11s for the 100m for the first time when winning the men's under-20 title at the Wellington championships in 10.94s and then clocked 10.78s when placing second in the same age group at the national championships.

Raman will face a busy schedule, contesting the 100m, 200m and 400m as well as being in the 4x400m relay.

The Rathkeale College student also made a big impression at the nationals when he came fifth in the 400m in a slick 50.37s .

Quinn, a first year student at Lincoln University who still competes for Wairarapa, won the junior men's hammer throw at the nationals with a distance of 52.96m and was seventh at the Australian junior track and field champs in Sydney with a best throw of 53.79m.

Also heading to the Oceania championships is Masterton coach Andrea Lambert, who is the only New Zealander selected to attend a course which will involve tuition in the likes of photo finish and timing processes.

The full New Zealand team is:

Junior men: Max Attwell (octathlon, 400m, relay), Alex Howden (100m, 200m, relay), Theunis Peters (800m, relay), Tom Quinn (hammer throw), Dhruv Raman (100, 200, 400m, relay), Hamish Dewar (octathlon, discus).

Junior women: Rosie Elliott (high jump, 100m, relay), Caitlyn George (100m, 200m, relay), Georgie Hulls (100m, 200m, relay), Ariana Lord (800m, 1500m), Atiba Mabonga (triple jump, relay), Holly Manning (800m, 1500m), Brooke Somerfield (100m, 200m, long jump, relay), Anna Thomson (triple jump).

Senior: Ariana Blackwood (discus, heptathlon), Ellie McCleery (200m, 400m), Dale Pritchard (discus, shot put), Ashley Exeter (discus), Malcolm Creelman (100m, 200m), David Elliott (100m, 200m).