Pakuranga Athletic Club junior athletes had outstanding success at the North Island Colgate Games held recently in Whanganui.
In its 45th year, the North Island Colgate Games hosted more than 1000 junior athletes from 83 different athletics clubs around New Zealand.
Colgate’s sponsorship of the Games is believed to be the longest continuous sports sponsorship in the world.
The 22 Pakuranga athletes in the 10-14 years age group won an outstanding 26 individual medals including a haul of 12 golds.
The club’s passion for middle-distance running was clear to see with nine of the medals won coming from the 800m and 1500m events.
Meanwhile, as they have done in past few years, Pakuranga continued to dominate the racewalk events with all five of the team’s racewalkers coming away with medals, including four golds.
In the relays, Pakuranga picked up four medals across the 4x100m and mixed medley events.
The eight 7-9-year-olds in the team won a huge 18 1st, 2nd or 3rd place pennants between them, including five gold pennants to eight-year-old Alyssia Vaili.
To cap off a brilliant weekend, Imogen Barlow – who won gold in the 14 Girls 800m and 1500m and bronze in the 400m – was awarded one of only four prestigious Nick Willis Scholarships for outstanding performance at the Games.
Club president Mike Trathen, who attended the games, says “the club is extremely proud of both the results achieved and also the effort, enthusiasm and sportsmanship shown by all team members”.
Fourteen Pakuranga athletes will be travelling on to attend the South Island Colgate Games in Timaru.
Club nights for all junior athletes (2-17-year-olds) commence for 2023 on Wednesday, January 18 at the Yvette Williams Track at Lloyd Elsmore Park.
New members are welcome.
