New Zealand Secondary Schools Championships - Cooks Gardens, Wanganui

Frazer Wickes shattered the junior boys' 400m record running a shattering 47.79s, to slice 1.21s off Richard Goldstone's 1974 record. Wickes, from Westlake Boys' High School ran conservatively in the early rounds recording 54.30s and 53.95s before unleashing his withering run in the final. He finished well clear of second placed Werner Dunn of Pakuranga who recorded 51.77s. The junior boys' record is now faster than Sam Higgie's 1999 senior boys' record of 47.86s.
15 year old Wickes was just outside the standard set of 47.50s for a New Zealand M16 record.
Matthew Robinson of Southland Boys' High won the senior boys' 400m in 48.74s.

Dallas Bowden of Nelson narrowly missed the senior boys' 800m record of 1m 51.59s in winning the title in 1m 51.66s. Michael Whitehead was second in 1m 53.26s.
Bowden also won the 1500m in 4m 00.28s, beating Dominic Channon who ran 4m 1.45s. Dominic won the 3000m in 8m 34.53s, ahead of Brendon Blacklaws 8m 40.76s.
Bowden has only had six weeks of training leading into the schools' champs, coming off a two and a half month break for an injury with his knees caused by the tendons pulling away.

Angie Smit won the senior girls' 800m in 2m 11.42s with Hannah Newbould the best in the senior girls' 1500m in 4m 33.78s.
Aaron Pulford of Hauraki Plains collected a double taking the 2000m steeplechase in 6m 12.88s and the 6000m road race in 19m 21.00s.
Sarah McSweeney ran 7m 1.08s to win the 2000m steeplechase. The senior girls' sprints were shared between Hannah Bayard of Burnside and Mt Albert's Andrea Koenen, with Bayard beating Koenen in the 100m in 12.26s and Koenen outsprinting Bayard in the 200m in 24.68s.
David Ambler of Christchurch won the senior boys' 100m in 10.81s, beating Avondale's Clayton Mbofana who turned the tables on Ambler in the 200m winning in 21.91s.

Pole vault sensation Kerry Charlesworth from Rangitoto College added 30cm to the open girls' pole vault, clearing 3.80m. This broke another Rangitoto College athlete Nikki Cliffe's record set in 2000. Morgan Williams of Rangitoto was second with 3.40m.
Charlesworth, who set a string of New Zealand age group pole vault records when she vaulted 3.90m two months ago, had the bar raised to 3.93m but was unsuccessful at her three attempts.
Tim McKee of Burnside High School won the open boys' pole vault with a height of 4.00m.

Ryan Tinkle of Wellington College set a record in the junior boys' hammer throwing a massive 56.70m to add over seven metres to the previous record. He also won the discus 50.97m and was third in the shot put 13.88m.
Todd Swanson of James Hargest High School in Invercargill won the senior boys triple jump with 14.38m.
Annabelle Coates of Burnside High School collected the senior girls' horizontal jumps, with 5.49m in the long and 11.78m in the triple.
Te Rina Keenan from Mt Albert won the senior girls discus with 47.16m while Ayla Gill of Takapuna won the hammer with a throw of 49.87m. The senior girls' javelin throw went to Stephanie Wrathall of Orewa with 43.46m.
Sarah Saddleton of Strathallan College won the senior girls' high jump clearing 1.73m, beating Elizabeth Lamb and Andrea Koenen of Mt Albert Grammar who both were over the bar at 1.70m.
Wanganui Collegiate were impressive in the senior boys' 4 x 100m relay, Samuela Vunisa, Geoff Kibby, Matthew Nesbitt and Joel Corney recording 42.87s.