Strong national track & field campaign

19/12/2008

When Bryce Morgan (2004-08) enrolled at Otago Boys’ High School in 2004 he told Rector Clive Rennie that his ambition was to run for New Zealand.

Bryce Morgan training on the Lovelock Avenue steps

He achieved the first step of his goal in Hamilton last weekend when he was named in the New Zealand secondary schools championship team after finishing a close runner-up in the senior boys 3,000 metres at the national secondary school track and field championships.

His time of 8 minutes 37.71 seconds was five seconds faster than his previous best.

The Rector indicated at the time that most first-year pupils he interviewed wanted to become All Blacks or play cricket for New Zealand.

Bryce is one of only two Otago athletes named in the team with his selection a fine reward for the effort he has put into his training in the last few months, much of it spent on the sand hills at Sandfly Bay, hill work on the Arthurs Walk steps, speed work in the Dunedin Botanic Garden and time trials on the Geoff Williamson super course at Ross Creek.

‘‘It’s the most training I’ve ever done and it has paid off,’’ he said

He took the lead at the bell and completed the last lap in a fast 62sec, being caught by Harry Dixon (Nayland College, Nelson) with just 50 metres of the race to run.

Todd Johnston

In reducing his 3 kilometre time by 14 seconds this season, Bryce is closing in on Blair Martin’s Otago 3,000 metre record of 8min 34.67sec for a 17-year-old. He has until April to break that mark.

Bryce headed up a successful Otago Boys’ presence at the nationals with several other strong performances.

Matthew Aitken (2006- ), competing in the athletes with disabilities division (AWD), won three titles along with taking a second and a third placing.

Matthew’s win in the discus was a New Zealand record and he was a few centimetres short of the national shot put record. His third title was in the 200 metres.

Sprinters Todd Johnston (2005- ) and Toby Flett (2006- ) finished second in the senior boys’ 100 metres and second in the senior boys’ 200 metres respectively.

Toby Flett

The school also entered two senior 4 x 100 metre relay teams for the first time ever with the selections qualifying 1st and 3rd fastest. The ‘A’ team was 0.3 second off the New Zealand senior boys’ record with a time of 42.82 seconds. This is the fastest time recorded by an aged 16 team in schoolboy history in this country.

However, in the final the team was narrowly beaten into second place by Auckland Grammar and the ‘B’ side came home in fourth place – a remarkable effort considering the line up of top athletic schools behind them.

Just a few minutes later the senior 4 x 400 metre relay was pipped for gold just 20 metres from the tape to complete a very fine campaign.