A corps of elite young athletes at Rathkeale College have shattered records, some of which had stood for decades, at the latest sports meeting at the school.
College spokesman Grant Harper said that, despite searing temperatures last Friday, competitors wore their house colours with pride and "were in a competitive mood" at the annual athletics day, which was defined by several record-breaking performances.
![New Zealand representative high jumper Gerard Hickey, sporting Blake House colours, shattered a Rathkeale College record that had stood for more than 30 years. PHOTO/MARSHALL PITNEY](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/2R4PFOKSMPMBD4ISR2EOC4CBQE.jpg?auth=043ba13fcbe1d9f8f91b4a0a7b70a5266b875189a7c23540d947e542c838ba89&width=16&height=11&quality=70&smart=true)
"Athletics coaches David Knox and John Quinn have, over the past months, worked hard with a select group of athletes who are now competing at a national level and whose prowess was apparent on the day," Mr Grant said.
The contest for the under-16 high jump had set the pace for the day, he said, when Gerard Hickey broke Hamish Dodds' 1985 record with a new height of 1.80m.