Athletics: Alsop leads way for Southland

[1] Greer Alsop, of Invercargill, competes in the long jump at the Caledonian Ground on Saturday. Alsop won the event with a jump of 5.44m.
Junior international Greer Alsop (Invercargill) headed a talented Southland contingent which dominated the track and field competition at the Caledonian Ground on Saturday.

A prefect and year-12 student at Southland Girls' High School, Alsop (17) dominated throughout the grades in the women's long and triple jump competitions.

Otago senior champion Catherine O'Sullivan (Ariki) had no answer to the enthusiastic Southland talent, leaping half a metre short of Greer's winning 5.44m in long jump competition.

In the triple jump competition, Alsop recovered from over-stepping in the first two rounds to win the open women's section with a distance of 11.90m.

Coached by Lance Smith, Alsop witnessed fellow stable mate Jade Graham (Gore) finish next best in the women's triple jump competition with a distance of 10.92m.

[2] Dean Rusbatch on his way to winning the hammer throw with a personal best distance of 54.83m. Photos by Peter McIntosh.
It has been a whirlwind 12 months for Alsop, who first represented New Zealand at the Oceania championships in Cairns in 2010 where she won the women's 20 and under triple jump and medalled in the long jump.

She was then ushered into the Commonwealth Youth Games team for the Isle of Man earlier this year. She finished second in the triple jump, recording a personal best of 12.39m, and fourth in the long jump, also with a personal best 5.83m.

Saturday's competition, although smack in the middle of her NZCA exams, marks a comeback of sorts for Alsop. She has been laid low with the flu over the past two weeks.

She has been the national age-group champion in triple jump for the past two years, and hopes to continue her four-year dominance at national secondary schools level when these championships start next month.

In open men's competition, the Smith-coached Manu Ravouvouniconua (19) and Joshua Vosawale (18) proved they will be hard to beat in the upcoming national secondary schools championships when they both represent Gore's St Peters College.

Ravouvouniconua dominated the men's triple jump competition, recording 14.36m and upstaging stablemate and Southland champion Todd Swanson (St Paul's), who finished second with 13.39m.

Ravouvouniconua was Vosawale's main rival in a tightly contested men's long jump, but Vosawale took the competition with a distance of 6.43m, with Ravouvouniconua next best with 6.25m and Swanson back on 6.03m.

While a number of other Southland-based athletes impressed in competition during the afternoon, none stood out more than Jack Beaumont (Winton).

The 14-year-old, year 9 student at Northern Southland College, in just his first steeplechase event, broke the 7min Southland standard in his grade.

One local athlete to shine was Dean Rusbatch (Taieri), who beat his personal best in the hammer throw three times to win the men's competition with a distance of 54.83m.

Rusbatch (17), another in the midst of NZCA exams, was still struggling with the after-effects of a chest infection.

"I just didn't have the push," he said after the hammer throw competition on Saturday.

Rusbatch finished within sight of breaking into the Otago squad standard distance set at 55.88m.

Also in his sights this season is Nathan Tait's 1990 Otago records of 58.82m with the 5kg hammer and 55m with the 6kg.

Rusbatch also dominated the discus competition, winning with a throw of 46.28m.

He was on hand to witness good friend Brent Cheshire (Ariki) win the high jump competition with a height of 1.85m.