Wairarapa athletes off to NZ championships

Thirteen up-and-coming Wairarapa athletes head north to Taranaki this week, joining 600 other qualifiers from throughout the country to compete in the 2007 Union New Zealand Track and Field Championships.
The three-day event, to be held at Jubilee Park's million dollar, all-weather track in Inglewood, begins on Friday and features the cream of New Zealand's athletes, including shotput golden girl Valerie Vili, sprinter Chris Donaldson and former world discus champion Beatrice Faumuina.
Team Wairarapa Athletics coach Mark Harris said the region had never in his 16 years of involvement seen this number of competitors qualify for the national championships.
"This has never ever happened before and it's even more amazing given the oldest is only 18 and the rest, except one who I think is 17, are all 16 or under," he said. "You have to meet a qualifying standard to make it which already puts them in the top 20 or possible the top 10 or 12 in the country."
The athletes compete at the event as part of the greater Wellington team and will spend the night in Wanganui on Thursday before heading to a camping ground outside Inglewood where they will be based.
Of those going to the championships, Greytown local Michael Wilson looks the goods to reach the podium, having benefited from two months of serious training since finishing third in both the 100m and 200m sprints at the secondary school championships in December.
Wilson, 18, who will compete in the19 years and under grade, recently ran a personal best 22.10 seconds over 200m and is fresh off scoring 10 tries at the Greytown sevens last weekend.
Other likely contenders include 16-year-olds Zac Sinclair, currently ranked second in his age group in the 3km walk, and Rathkeale College's Chris Gerling-McLean, who is only 0.7 seconds off the top ranking in the 400m.
Carrying the female hopes will be Ellen Schaef, 16, from St Matthew's Collegiate in the 16 years and under 400m and Vicki Paine, 15, in the 800m.
Wairarapa athletes also dominate the Wellington male and female team's 4x400m relay events in the 16 years and under grade, with six locals featuring.