Bodyline by Guy Body

TGS athletes win gold at school champs

Two Takapuna Grammar School (TGS) students won double gold medals at the Auckland Secondary School Athletics Championships held before the term break.

Sascha Letica was first in the senior girls 800m and 1500m races, with the 16-year-old backing up from collecting a pair of bronze medals for North Harbour in the same events just days before at the North Island Secondary School Athletics Championships, where athletes compete for their zones.

Thrower Kate Hallie, aged 15, won both the intermediate shot-put and discus at the Auckland event, held at Trusts stadium in Henderson on 5 April. She earlier came first in shot-put and third in discus at the North Island champs in Palmerston North.

Seventeen-year-old Devonport resident James Ford, who runs for Kings College, set a record in the 400m senior boys race of 48.61.

TGS had a squad of 16 athletes at the Auckland event. Other medal winners included Jodie Nash, who was second to Sasha in the senior 1500m and collected another silver medal in the 3000m.

TGS girl runners finished just out of the relay medals, taking fourth place in the senior 4x100m, the open 4x400m and the junior 4x100m.

Jess Lathwood was second in the junior girls triple jump and third in the junior girls 70m hurdles. Connor Brady was third in the junior boys 300m hurdles.

Connor also did well at the North Island champs, winning the junior boys 300m race, coming second in the junior shot-put and being in Harbour’s boys teams that came third in the 4x100m and 4x400m relays.

Jodie Nash was second in the senior girls 3000m race.