Felix McDonald is ready for one last hurrah on the secondary schools athletics stage.
The 18-year-old King’s High School pupil is one of Otago’s best medal hopes at the schools national championships, which begin tonight at Douglas Track & Field in Waitakere, Auckland. The championships go through to Sunday.
McDonald was hoping he would be able to repeat his performance from last year, in which he jumped a personal-best 6.90m to bring home the gold medal in the senior boys long jump. He said the long jump was his best shot at an individual medal, although he knew it would not be easy. The likes of Auckland’s Kamal Singh Patwalia and Hamilton’s Christopher Goodwin were among several others jumping distances similar to McDonald’s.
"It’s going to be really tough competition, just like last year, really tight. It’s anyone’s, I think," he said.
A powerful runner, McDonald will also compete in the 200m, and be part of both the 4x100m and 4x400m relay teams. Last year he was in the team that won the 4x400m and he hoped this year’s team, which also includes Jacob Granger, Sam Gouvernour and Max Aitcheson, would be among the medals again. All are in good form and McDonald will be key, having run 49.97 to go under 50sec for the first time two weeks ago.
However, it has been a tough off-season for McDonald, who competes for the Taieri club.
Having gone through most of last season with a foot injury, he took a break in May and has been slowly rebuilding, but it meant he had to give up one of his favoured events.
"[The injury] was at the end of last season.
"I kind of maintained it over the season and it didn’t really get any better. I was just managing it; it was just getting worse and worse.
"It was from the hurdles itself — taking off from the hurdles and landing on the other side, that’s really just hammered them.
"So I thought it would be a good idea just to cut it out and that’s worked so far.
"Sprinting doesn’t hurt them and long jump isn’t too bad at all, so they’re feeling quite good."
While he said his main focus was on the end of the season, he was looking forward to giving these championships one more good shot.
McDonald has had a taste of the black singlet, notably at Commonwealth Youth Games last year, and was keen to take his athletics career further.
"Commonwealth Youth Games was a really good experience.
"Not too much on the medal side of things, just opening my eyes to what wearing the black singlet is all about.
"I had a good look at what the world is actually doing and how good everyone is."
Next year he would study part-time at the Otago Polytechnic for a bachelor of applied science degree, majoring in physical activity, health and wellbeing, and would train alongside that, he said.
He is one of a large group of Otago athletes that will compete at the meet. Among the other medal contenders are Taieri College throwers Hamish Mears and Zharna Beattie, as well as jumper Hannah Ashton. Dunstan High School’s Adriana Mahwhinney is among the contenders in the senior triple jump, and Columba College’s Ellie Duncan is a chance in the senior 200m and 300m hurdles.
