Pakuranga Athletic Club has racked up an impressive medal haul at the 2021 North Island Colgate Games at Inglewood.
The club had 61 athletes competing amongst the 7-14 years age grades.
The club won 33 individual medals (15 gold, 8 silver, 10 bronze) and 7 relay medals (5 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze).
The best performing athlete was James Trathen (14B) who won 5 medals (4 gold, 1 silver) and was awarded 1 of 4 Nick Willis Scholarships at the end of the meeting. Tim Wallace (13B) also won 5 medals (3 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze).
Harrison Day (11B), Ben Ward (14B) and Kaiden Warren (14B) all won 4 medals each. Imogen Barlow (12G) was the best performing female athlete with 3 gold medals.
There were 5 new Auckland records set.
We have 19 athletes competing at the South Island Games here in Nelson this weekend.
More than 1000 young athletes made their mark in Taranaki over the weekend of January 8-10 at the 43rd annual Colgate Games.
This year, 79 clubs from across New Zealand took teams to the North Island event with 1176 young athletes competing at Inglewood’s TET Stadium.
Colgate Games North Island Chair, Simon Elliott, said participants have been training all summer to prepare for the event and the Games are a chance for the athletics community to come together in the spirit of friendship.
“Our young athletes are excited to get on the track and compete alongside their friends, especially after the impacts of Covid-19 lockdowns.”
The annual Colgate Games is New Zealand’s largest athletics competition for young athletes aged 7 to 14 years old. Each year, a different city or town is chosen to host the Colgate Games in the North and South Islands.
Established in 1978, the Colgate Games is one of the longest continuous sports sponsorships in New Zealand.
Colgate NZ General Manager, John Garside, says the Colgate Games are about celebrating community sport and encouraging up-and-coming athletes to do their best and to give new sports a go.
Colgate and Athletics New Zealand have provided eight scholarships worth $500 each for athletes who display outstanding performances.
The eight scholarships – four awarded each in the North and South Islands – are named after Colgate Games alumnus and two-time Olympic medallist, Nick Willis. The funds will go towards helping the winning athletes achieve their sporting goals.
The South Island Colgate Games were held in Nelson’s Saxton Field Sports Centre from January 15-17.
