Athletics Wellington Awards
Ruby Muir, Alex Haye and Finn Seeds among top athletes and volunteers honoured at Athletics Wellington Awards
For immediate release
Sprinter Alex Haye and marathon athlete Ruby Muir were the key winners in the Athletics Wellington awards at Newtown Park on May 9, with promising teen middle distance athlete Finn Seeds picking up several awards.
All said they were surprised to receive their awards but acknowledged they put the hard yards in throughout the past 12 months for their results.
“It’s amazing – especially as it was unexpected,” Haye said. “It’s good - you’ve done a whole year of training.”
Haye, from Wellington Harriers Athletic Club, was awarded the senior male sprinter and the overall male athlete awards. He was a member of the winning Athletics Wellington 4x100m male relay team at the National Track and Field championships and won the 400m event in 47.63 seconds and came 3rd in the tough 200m event. He also medalled regionally in the 100m, 200m and 400m events; two of which were golds.
Muir, from Scottish Harriers, is an outstanding athlete, and was awarded the top female athlete award, and the award for the senior female cross country and road athlete. She is also the country’s top ranked trail runner. She won both the Wellington marathon, and, competing in her first ever half marathon, won in record time of 1:17.40, and was 3rd in the Auckland marathon.
Cup in hand, she said she enjoyed the
awards evening, particularly as she doesn’t often meet
other track and road athletes as she is a long-distance
marathon and trail runner.
“It’s a completely
different crowd.”
Fifty-three awards were presented at the awards dinner, covering track and field, cross country, and road events for both junior and senior athletes, masters, coaches and volunteers in the Wellington and Wairarapa regions.
Finn Seeds, 14, has won all the inter clubs and secondary school competitions he has competed in – 18 gold medals in all. The Lower Hutt middle distance runner was awarded the cup for the most outstanding athlete under 15, also taking out the middle distance and cross-country awards for his age group.
Top thrower is javelin thrower Cam Robinson. As he is under 18 he also picked up the junior male thrower award. But he was third at senior nationals this year in his first senior competition, with a personal best of 65.12m – and also won the U20 title. He was also 7th at the Oceania championships and won the NZ Secondary School competition.
Triple jumper Anna Thomson was awarded top jumper. Coached by her father, Richard Thomson, she again won the national triple jump title earlier this year, with a 12.69m jump, however also did a 12.94m distance at the HBG Championships in Hastings.
Shaka Sola, who runs the Sola Power Throwing Academy, was awarded senior coach. He coaches the top male and female senior throwers, Montaya Wharehinga, and Nathaniel Sulupo, who was 4th in the senior men’s shot put at Nationals with a 15.67m throw.
Wharehinga was 4th in the hammer throw at the same nationals, as was Amania Mafi in the U20 shot put. Also coached by Sola. Mafi won the junior female thrower award.
Mike Ritchie and Amanda Goldsmith were awarded the male and female junior coach. Both have coached top sprinters, jumpers and middle and long-distance runners throughout the season. Many of their athletes have set new records in their respective events, obtained a number of national titles and had their athletes selected into New Zealand teams.
High jumper Josephine Reeves, 16, who won the U18 national title, was awarded top junior jumper, Victoria Green top junior sprinter, and Libby Leikis, who set three NZ records at this year’s nationals was awarded senior para athlete. In the 15U division, Lola Fowler was awarded top female jumper and Andrew Jenkins was awarded 15U boys sprinter. Both are coached by Goldsmith.
Masters athletes also received awards with Athletics Wellington board co-chairman Michael Wray and Peters Stevens both receiving the male award for track and field. Both are ranked top two in the Oceania region in their top events.
A special leadership certificate, recognising outstanding contribution to the development of athletics in the region was awarded to Jo Murray for her work as a volunteer as well as her work as the Athletics Wellington’s Sport Development Manager.
Charlie Nairne
and Sally Mills were presented with awards as top
volunteers, and Jim McIlroy for his work as an
official.
ENDS – list of awards below
Certificates.
1. Libby Leikis -Senior Female
Para-athlete
2. Daniel Du Toit – Senior
Walker
3. Scottish Senior Men Road Relay – Male Team
4. Maia Ramsden – Overseas Female Athlete
5. Quentin Rew – Overseas Male Athlete
6. Alex Haye
– Senior Male Sprinter
7. Tina Faulkner – Senior
Female Middle Distance Runner
8. Hamish Carson –
Senior Male Middle Distance Runner
9. Melissa Black –
Senior Female Distance Runner
10. Sam McCutcheon –
Senior Male Distance Runner
11. Lola Fowler – 15U
Girls Jumper
12. Ari Koed Chang – 15U Boys
Jumper
13. Josephine Reeves – Junior Female Jumper
14. Gerard Hickey – Junior Male Jumper
15. Anna
Thomson – Senior Female Jumper
16. Brendon Barnett
-Senior Male Jumper
17. Elizabeth Hewitt - 15U Female
Thrower
18. Caleb Stanley -15U Male
Thrower
19. Amania Mafi – Junior Male
Thrower
20. Cam Robinson – Junior Male
Thrower
21. Monteya Wharehinga – Senior Female
Thrower
22. Nathaniel Sulupo - Senior Male
Thrower
23. Victoria Green – Junior Female
Sprinter
24. Nick Smith and Cody Wilson - Junior Male
Sprinter
25. Charlotte Floodsmith-Ryan – Junior Female
Middle Distance Runner
26. Max Spencer – Junior Male
Distance Runner
27. Phoebe McKnight – Junior Cross
Country Female Runner
28. Joel Carman and Logan Slee –
Junior Cross Country Male Runner
29. Ruby Muir –
Senior Female Cross Country and Road Runner
30. Nick
Horspool -Senior Male Cross Country and Road
Runner
31. Alyssa Watson - 15U Girls Sprinter
32. Andrew Jenkins – 15U Boys Sprinter
33. Esther
Kozyniak – 15U Girls Middle Distance Runner
34. Finlay
Seeds - 15U Boys Middle Distance Runner
35. Maali
Kyle-Ford – 15U Girls Cross Cross Country Runner
36. Finlay Seeds – 15U Boys Cross Country Runner
37. Sally Mills – Female Volunteer
38. Charlie
Nairne -Male Volunteer
39. Amanda Goldsmith – Junior
Female Coach
40. Mike Ritchie – Junior Male
Coach
41. Shaka Sola -Senior Coach
42. Jim McILroy –
Official
Trophy Winners
Finlay Seeds – Outstanding
15U athlete
Veronica Gould – Masters Female Track &
Field Athlete
Michael Wray and Peter Stevens – Masters
Male Track & Field Athletes
Debbie Platts-Fowler -
Masters Female Cross Country & Road Athlete
Stephen Day
- Masters Male Cross Country & Road Athlete
Anna Thomson
– Top Jumper
Hamish Carson - Top Middle Distance
Athlete
Cam Robinson – Top Thrower
Ruby Muir -
Female Athlete
Alex Haye – Male Athlete
Jo
Murray - Leadership
Certificate