Similarily to the House Swimming Sports a couple of weeks ago, the standard of competition was high at the Athletics Day Finals.
The conditions for running were ideal and everyone came out in high spirits to cheer on their House. Across every single age group category, there were some hard-fought battles to decide the overall individual champions.
Junior Boys
In the Junior Boys category, nine separate students won individual events. However, when it came down to it, only two boys were on the hunt for the Overall Junior Boys title. Ros-Alan Uepi (Year 9, Major) performed excellently, winning the 200m, 400m and 2nd in the 100m and Shot Put. However, Jarel Samasoni (Year 10, Averill) was most impressive and won all the events he participated in, including the 100m, Long Jump, 80m Hurdles and Triple Jump to be crowned the Overall Junior Boys Champion. Honourable mention goes to Lucas Crawford (Year 9, Selwyn), who won the 1500m, placed 2nd in the 800m and 3rd in the High Jump.
The Junior Boys House competition was won by Selwyn House.
Intermediate Boys
The Intermediate competition had 12 separate winners across all the events; a very competitive category! Ollie Anderson (Year 10, Greenbank) was in outstanding form in the sprints to take out both the 100m and 200m events. He also placed 3rd in the High Jump. Samuel Rickerby (Year 11, Peart) ran exceptionally well in the 3000m and 2000m Steeplechase to win both events. Jonty Batchelor (Year 10, Greenbank) performed in the middle-distance events, winning the 800m and placing 2nd in the 400m and 1500m. Alex Castilla Urquiza (Year 11, Selwyn) also performed well, winning the Triple Jump and placing 2nd in the 100m Hurdles and Long Jump. However, Calvin Harris-Tavita (Year 11, Parnell) claimed the Intermediate Boys title, winning the Long Jump, 2nd in the High Jump and 3rd in 100m and 200m.
The Intermediate Boys House competition was won by Parnell House.
Intermediate Girls
Despite only being in Year 11 and competing against older girls, Aria Fuller (Year 11, Selwyn) and Zoe Driscoll (Year 11, Selwyn) managed to win their Shot Put and 1500m competitions, respectively. Jetta Mckenzie (Year 11, St John's) shined the brightest, winning the 100m Hurdles, 300m Hurdles, 2nd in the 100m and 4th in the 200m, and subsequently, claiming the 2024 Intermediate Girls title. Congratulations to all Intermediate Girl athletes on their fantastic results.
Senior Girls
The Senior Girls competition was the tightest out of all categories, with there only being 10 points between 1st and 5th House placings. Individually, though, the title race was really only between two girls. Petra Grant (Year 13, Marsden) won the 3000m and 1000m Steeplechase, 2nd in the 300m Hurdles and 3rd in the High Jump. But ultimately, Zara Ford (Year 13, Parnell) was the one to beat. She won the 200m, 400m and 800m and came 3rd in the Shot Put to make her the Senior Girls Champion, only beating Petra by 4 points. Notable mention goes to Frankie Wright (Year 12, School), who won the 100m and came 2nd in the 200m and High Jump events.
The Senior Girls House competition was won by School House.
Senior Boys
In the Senior Boys competition, there were some close tussles for 1st place honours, and once again, the competition was fierce for the race to be crowned as the Individual Champion. There were many outstanding performances. However, the most notable mentions go to Sacha Foenander (Year 13, School), who won the Long Jump and 110m Hurdles and placed 3rd in the Triple Jump, and Jack Erikson (Year 13, Peart), who ran impressively in his races, claiming gold in the 800m, 1500m and 3000m. But Kahu Cotterill (Year 13, School) was once again too strong for his opponents on the day. Kahu won the 100m (with a new school record of 10.99sec), 200m, 400m and Open 300m Hurdles races and was rightfully crowned as the Senior Boys Champion.
The Senior Boys House competition was won by Peart House.
The Overall House winner
Finally, the day concluded with the Headmaster reading out the overall points tally for each House. In the end, it was Selwyn House who were crowned the 2024 Overall House Athletics Champions with 813 points. School House came 2nd with 688 points and Parnell House 3rd with 651 points.
Athletics Day Award Recipients
