Wairarapa's Yeats strikes gold - twice

FAST TRACK: Finn Yeats emerged a dual gold medallist.

Three gold and three silver was the impressive medal haul for Wairarapa at the New Zealand secondary schools track and field championships at Porritt Stadium, Hamilton.

Gun Rathkeale College sprinter Finn Yeats was the major flag bearer for the province at the weekend, blitzing his rivals in the finals of the junior boys' 100m and 200m events in personal best times of 11.06s and 22.36s respectively.

While his dual success did not surprise coach Mark Harris, the margin of victory did.

"We knew he (Yeats) was a potential winner in both events but we certainly didn't expect him to win as comfortably as he did," Harris said.

"He was an absolute class above them."

The third gold medal for Wairarapa came from Katie Smith, who took out the senior girls' shot put with a personal best of 14.42m.

The Wairarapa College pupil went into the contest as one of the favourites after excellent performances on the domestic and national fronts and did not disappoint.

Alex Howden, of Makoura College, showed that the health problems which had beset him over the past year were behind him when he finished second in the senior boys' 100m. His time of 11.14s was a personal best and he was just 0.04s off the winner.

Coach Harris said Howden's progress in 2014 had been slowed by, first, being hospitalised by a bout of pneumonia and then having his tonsils removed. It was only after an impressive training session two days before the Hamilton meet that Harris saw him as a potential medallist.

"It's been a tough year for Alex but he has stuck at it and is now getting the rewards," Harris said.

A second silver medal on the track for Wairarapa came from the talented Alison Andrews-Paul (Wairarapa College) who was second in the senior girls' 400m in a personal best time of 57.60s, while Tom Quinn (Rathkeale College) was runner-up in the senior boys hammer throw. His best effort of 58.93m was also a personal best.

Toyah Churton (Kuranui College) was holding down second place in the junior girls' long jump with a personal best of 5.26m when she had to miss a turn through competing in a sprint event. Eventually, she came fourth.

Fourth placings also went to Keelan Ward (Wairarapa College) in the 200m for athletes with an intellectual impairment and Emma Kruszona (Wairarapa College) in the senior girls' hammer throw.

Ward's good form followed some excellent results at the Special Olympics Summer Games in Dunedin, where he won gold medals in the 100m and 4x100m relay and came fourth in the 200m and 400m.