Runners Martha Lipross, Menzie Saker, Eve Kelleher and Sylvie Haig won the under-16 girls 4x400m relay in 4min 23.27sec in Nelson at the weekend.
And they all added more medals to their collection.
Lipross was also crowned champion of the under-15 girls 80m hurdles in a time of 12.86sec and won silver with a personal best of 2.80m in the under-16 girls pole vault.
Saker showed her strength in the field as well, winning the under-14 girls hammer throw with 14.87m.
Kelleher won bronze in the under-15 girls 1500m in 5min 06.28sec and Haig won bronze in the under-14 girls 400m in 1min 02.36sec.
Queen’s thrower Aurora Wills won the under-16 girls discus in 29.83m and won silver with a personal best of 10.48m in the shot put.
Otago’s young stars returned home with more than 50 medals, a fantastic display of the region’s depth in the sport.
Among the highlights were Wakatipu High School runner James Weber, who collected three under-19 titles.
He won the boys 300m in 9min 04.71sec, and Otago Boys’ High School runner Ruie Hyslop was runner-up in 9min 04.93sec. Weber also won the 1500m with a personal best of 3min 57.42sec and the 800m in 1min 53.53sec.
Columba College athlete Tessa Krause won the under-16 girls 80m hurdles in 12.75sec, silver in the 200m hurdles with 30.97sec and joint silver in the high jump with 1.45m.
Another Columba runner, Sayde Kawau, won the under-15 100m in 12.75sec and the 200m in 26sec. Lailah Robson (Otago Girls’ High School) won bronze in the 100m in 12.87sec.
John McGlashan College athlete Alex Walker won a full complement of medals.
He won gold in the under-16 boys 100m in 11.42sec, silver in the shot put with 13.18m and bronze in the 200m in 22.93sec
St Hilda’s Collegiate School thrower Charlee Farquhar won double bronze in the under-15 girls shot put with a throw of 12.32m and discus with a distance of 34.22m.
Skye Wilson (Otago Girls’) won the under-14 girls long jump in 5.21m, the 100m in 12.80sec and was second in the 80m hurdles in 12.60sec.
Otago Girls’ Jade Wilson ran a personal best to win silver in the under-19 girls 100m in 12.72sec and silver in the 100m hurdles in 15.32sec.
Fellow Otago Girls’ athlete Eva McLean won silver in the under-14 800m in 2min 25.15sec and bronze in the 1500m in 4min 58.32sec.
Taieri College thrower William Evans won the under-16 boys javelin with a throw of 46.68m and Waitaki Girls’ High school thrower Grace MacKenzie won the under-14 javelin with 27.73m. St Kevin’s High School thrower Mele Fangupo won silver in the under-14 javelin with 26.07m.
In Australia, Wanaka runner Phoebe Laker produced another fantastic race at the Australian junior athletics championships in Perth.
Laker, 16, won the under-17 girls 400m race with a personal best of 53.87sec ahead of Australian Iluka-Rose Taylor, who was runner-up with a personal best of 55.35.
The result made Laker the fastest under-16 girl in Australasia and she now holds the Otago record for seven age groups from 13 to 19.
Other Otago athletes will compete at the Australian open and under-20 championships starting tomorrow.
