Two St Paul’s Collegiate athletes have the chance of taking part in the 2016 Olympics in Rio De Janeiro after being included in Athletics New Zealand’s performance potential squad.
Year 12 boarder from Gisborne, Tom Smith, 16, won the U18 400m running at the New Zealand Athletics Track and Field Championships held in Auckland in March. He won the same event last year in Dunedin.
Fellow school athlete year 13 student James Hunt, 17, from Hamilton, won the national title for the 400m hurdles in the same competition and was third in the 110m hurdles.
Both athletes have extensive backgrounds in high- level performance. Hunt was first in the U17 300m and 110m hurdles last year and was a member of the winning 4 x 400m Waikato Bay of Plenty U17 relay team at 2012’s track and field championships.
He also has top placings in the 2012 Open Boys North Island Secondary Schools Track and Field Championships.
Smith won the 400m U17 athletics New Zealand Track and Field Championships 2012 and the 4 x 400m as a member of the Waikato Bay of Plenty U17 relay ream Athletics NZ Track and Field Competitions 2012.
He was the New Zealand Senior Secondary School 400m champion 2012.
As members of the Athletics New Zealand Performance Potential Squad the students are monitored and provided with extra training and mentoring.
If keep their titles there is a good chance they will qualify to compete in the 2016 Olympics.
The performance potential squad for the 2016 games covers all track and field events and has 30 members including two 2012 St Paul’s Collegiate graduates Scott Hilliar and Katelyn Mathews.
