One of Otago’s next great athletes might have been at Kaikorai Valley College yesterday.
The school played host to the Otago primary schools cross-country championships in which 680 pupils from around the region competed.
Pupils from years 5-8 were split into boys and girls races for each year, making eight races in total. They had previously qualified through zonal races.
Hugo Bogue, of the Remarkables School, impressed in winning the boys year 5 title. The 9-year-old powered away with a strong finish.
Georgia McHutchon, of East Taieri, edged Abby Fookes, of Queenstown Primary School, down the final stretch to claim the girls year 6 title.
Lila Rhodes, of Portobello School, claimed first in the year 5 girls, while Tom Sides, of Wanaka Primary School, won the year 6 boys.
Billie Crowe, of Holy Family Catholic School, won the year 7 girls title and Tahuna Normal Intermediate’s Joe Parkinson claimed the boys year 7 race.
Jordan Evans-Tobata, of Balmacewen Intermediate, was the year 8 girls winner, while Hamish Faulks, also of Balmacewen, won the boys year 8 title.
Balmacewen was the overall year 7-8 winner with 157 points.
In the year 5-6 grades, the runners competed for the zones through which they qualified. Central Otago won both the boys and girls overall titles.
