At the annual Otago primary school sports in 2008 Sian (16) won the senior girls 800m and younger sister Hanna (14) the junior girls 800m.
The Columba College pupils repeated the formula this year in the Otago secondary schools Logan Park road races when Sian won the senior girls event in 8min 53sec and Hanna the junior girls title in 9min 13sec.
They were pitted against each other on the first leg of the Caversham road relay at King's High School last week. Sian had the fastest girls' lap time of 6min 07sec and Hanna was second with 6min 12sec.
The girls are together in athletics but have gone separate ways in their other main sports.
Sian has been a member of the Southern Districts tennis team for the past five years and won the provincial title in 2010 and this year.
Football is Hanna's other sport and she is a member of Football New Zealand's talent development squad that is preparing for the 2015 Women's World Cup.
Hanna won the Ariki Cup in a cross-country race at the age of 10 when she was a pupil at the Tainui Primary School. She has been competing in athletics ever since.
"I like competing," Hanna said.
"I also like the social side of sport and meeting new people."
Sian uses athletics to get fit for tennis.
"It's always a challenge to push yourself to the limits," Hanna said.
"There is also a good bunch of people in the sport."
They are both members of the Ariki Track Club and are coached by Mike Waddell.
Hanna is keen to get a sports scholarship to a United States university in either athletics or football.
Name: Sian (16) and Hanna (14) English.
School: Columba College.
Sports: Sian (athletics, tennis), Hanna (athletics, football).
Achievements:
Sian: member of Southern Districts tennis team that won the New Zealand under-16 title in 2010 and 2012; Otago representative in athletics.
Hanna: member NZ Talent ID squad preparing for 2015 Women's World Football Cup; 7th in under-15 NZ cross-country champs in 2011.
