The track and field national championships begin in Napier today and run until Sunday.
They have been extended by a day to accommodate the Covid-19 Red light setting restrictions.
Age-grade events dominate the early programme, while the senior events kick in later in the meeting.
Otago has had strong showings in several events in recent years and it is in those in which it will likely contend again.
The senior javelin returned three medals a year ago and promises the same again.
Anton Schroeder and Michael Mitchell return after claiming the top two spots in the men’s competition last year.
Paralympic champion Holly Robinson will also look to back up her silver medal in the senior (able-bodied) women’s competition.
The throws are likely to produce several other medals.
Dyani Shepherd-Oates has had a strong summer and will be among the contenders in the senior women’s hammer, as will Mayce Ballantyne.
Todd Bates is a likely contender in the men’s hammer.
The discus has similar medal potential, as Kieran Fowler, Jade Zaia and Hugh McLeod-Jones all line up in the senior men’s event.
Zharna Beattie will look to go one better than last year’s fourth place in the women’s.
In the jumps, Felix McDonald will enter as a hot favourite to reclaim the senior men’s long jump title he won in 2020.
Fellow Otago athlete Shay Veitch — who last year won the long jump-100m double — will miss this year’s event through injury.
Two-time Paralympic gold medallist Anna Grimaldi will also compete in the senior women’s long jump, in which she enters ranked in the top five.
Mate Poduje is an outside chance of a medal in the senior men’s high jump.
On the track, Oli Chignell and Russell Green are both medal chances in a very strong 1500m field that includes Olympian Sam Tanner, Julian Oakley and Erik Speakman.
Cameron Moffitt will be a favourite in both the under-20 110m and 400m hurdles.
Sarah Jamison enters the under-18 100m hurdles ranked third in the country and will contest both that and the 300m hurdles alongside Jorja Gibbons.
In the sprints, John Gerber takes the step up from under-20 to senior grades in the 200m and 400m, while Zara Geddes and Catherine Lund will look to contend in the under-18 middle distance races.
