Medals for Southland Boys' at the NZ Club Athletics Championships in Wellington.
James McLeay
Running in the U18 800m heats, James qualified for the final. The heats were a tactical affair with runners looking to qualify for the final but conserving energy.
The final saw James out at a steady pace but it was quicker than he thought, and he found himself in the breakaway pack with around 350m to go. The pace was hot and rapid. As they hit the straight James was 4th. He found extra reserves in the final sprint and as they flashed across the line James was placed second. He was 0.25 seconds off the winner. Overall he was stoked with his silver medal and really enjoyed the experience.
Cody Lawson
In the U16 boys 100m final Cody was drawn in lane 4. A slow start saw him having to make up some ground. He finished strongly in the final 20m finishing 3rd in a time of 11.56. An outstanding time for a boy who has another year in the grade.
The 200m saw Cody matched up against his two arch rivals from Auckland. Cody ran a strong race clocking 23.34 finishing 3rd. The gut buster 400m was his final race. Cody ran a PB {personal best} 51.47 in finishing 2nd A great haul of 3 medals.
Jakob Voorkamp
In the final of the U16 100m hurdles Jakob made a great start and was in front at the first hurdle. He however hit the second hurdle which saw him drop back. Jakob really dug deep and finished strongly over the last 20m finishing 3rd in a time of 14.37. Jakob's other event was the 800m. The final s aw the field stay together for the first 300m. At the bell the tempo increased and hitting the home straight Jakob was first. Over the concluding stages he was outsprinted and as they crossed the line he was 4th in a time of 2 minutes flat.
Good luck to all boys competing in the Southland Champs this weekend and good luck to James and Cody who are heading to Australia in April to compete.
