Whanganui will send the largest team of athletes ever to the North Island Secondary Schools Championship

Karl Loebe will start as one of the favourites in the Intermediate boys at the North Island Championships and his German qualifying time set at last week's club night could prove hard to beat in that grade.

Sixty-two Whanganui athletes will make the journey north to Tauranga to compete at the North Island Secondary Schools Track and Field Championships.

This is the largest school team to leave the city for the championships. While Whanganui Collegiate and Whanganui High School athletes have the largest number in the team (30 and 19 respectively), all Whanganui district schools bar one has athlete(s) in the team.

It is unfortunate that two New Zealand Champions will not be in Tauranga.

Liam Back, who won the 800/1500 metre double in the under 18- grade at the New Zealand Championships in Christchurch in early March, will be in Sydney competing in the under 18 3000 metres. Back, who was injured in Cairns at the Australian All Schools in December while competing for New Zealand Schools, has travelled to Sydney to, in his own words, "complete unfinished business".

He will certainly meet sterner opposition than he would in Tauranga and has the ability to do very well at Homebush.

The other Whanganui champion not competing is the New Zealand Schools and New Zealand under 18 champion Emma Osborne who has not recovered from an injury at the Christchurch New Zealand Championships.

Osborne has gained some consultation with the announcement last week that she has been selected by Athletics New Zealand to compete in both 400 and 800 metres at the Oceania Championships in Townsville in late June.

The Whanganui team still has several New Zealand medal winners in their ranks who hope to end the season on the podium.

Genna Maples won the New Zealand under 18 Long Jump title and goes to Tauranga to defend her North Island under 16 titles - 100m, 200m and Long Jump. In the 100m she will face an especially strong challenge from her Collegiate team mate Sophie Williams, who in March not only won the New Zealand Under 18 title but also tops the New Zealand under 18 rankings.

Tayla Brunger won last year's Intermediate 400 metres is in impressive form. Brunger contests all three sprints at senior level and although fourth in both 200m and 400m in March has come into good form.

Rebecca Baker, a 1500 metre /3000m double winner at Cooks Gardens in last year's championships in the Intermediate, attempts the same double as a senior this year. She was a double medal winner in December and will be among the favourites this time around.

Whanganui is especially strong in the 800 metres events.

Travis Bayler won the Whanganui Schools 800 metres and further improved his time last week in a red-hot club 800 metres. Joseph Sinclair finished behind Bayler in Whanganui but ahead of him four days earlier when he finished 4th in the New Zealand under 20 final.

Sinclair took the silver medal at New Zealand Schools in December and has the faster time. Both could be together in the home straight chasing podium places in Tauranga.

Karl Loebe will start as one of the favourites in the Intermediate boys and his German qualifying time set at last week's club night could prove hard to beat in that grade.
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Ana Brabyn won the New Zealand Schools junior 800 metres in December and hopes as a first year Intermediate to repeat her top of the podium in Tauranga. Brabyn is also a competent 400 metre runner and attempts the double at the weekend. In 400 metres she has tough opposition including Waikato's Analies Kalma who took silver in the Australian under 16 Championships in Cairns in December. Kalma will also provide strong opposition over 200 metres for Maples and Williams.

Whanganui is strong in steeplechase.

Andres Hernandez looked impressive in his debut over the barriers at Whanganui Schools and looks to be a real medal chance. He also heads the 3000 metre rankings. Ashleigh Alabaster took silver in both New Zealand Schools under 16 and at New Zealand under 18 and will be among the favourites in the under 16 race, while George Lambert, who was placed last year and won bronze at the New Zealand Championships, should be close to the front in Tauranga. Both Alabaster and Lambert run in the 300 metres on day 1 of competition.

Hurdling has been strong this year in Whanganui and both Paris Munro and her brother Connor could do well in their respective under 16 and senior 300 metre hurdle events while Sophie Redmayne, who ran so well in setting a best in Whanganui, will be among the favourites in the senior 300 metre hurdles. Maggie Jones and Paris Munro could feature in the under 16 80 hurdles.

The event always produces new faces and Whanganui athletes could be among them. I will look back at the championships next week.