NZ running away with overall championship

New Zealand continues to lead the medal standings in the 2008 Oceania Championships with seven more gold medals hauled in by its amazing under-18 team yesterday at the Oleai Track and Field.

With only one day left in the biennial event, the Kiwis have amassed 12 gold, seven silver, and four bronze for a total of 23 medals.

Kelsey Berryman led New Zealand’s charge by winning both the women’s 400m and 100m hurdles. The 16-year-old ran the 400m hurdles in 67.88 followed by Australia’s Emily Keehn with her 74.21.

Berryman also won the 100m hurdles by beating teammate Olivia Blundell with a time of 14.88. Blundell was second with her 15.03 followed by Tonga’s Vasi Feke (15.35).

Blundell won a gold medal of her own when she topped the women’s long jump with a leap of 5.08m, followed by Cook Islands’ Patricia Taea and the CNMI’s Jacque Wonenberg.

Daniel Fake’s gold medal, meanwhile, was the real deal when he won the men’s triple jump with leap of 13.36m. He was followed by Linc Port of Australia (13.29m) and fellow Kiwi John Kendall (13.06m).

Nick Gerard, Alex Jordan, and Emily Kinsler gave the New Zealanders their final three gold medals of the day.

Gerard one his in the men’s high jump (1.90m) with teammate Michael Cochrane taking second (1.65m) and CNMI’s Trevor Ogumoro taking third (1.60m).

Jordan, for his part, won the men’s 200m sprint with a time of 21.93, followed by the 22.55 of Australia’s Mason Holm and the 22.97 of Papua New Guinea’s Joe Matmat.

Kinsler took the tape in the women’s 800m with her time of 2:19.31, followed by the 2:39.49 of Nori Tubas of Vanuatu and the 2:43.57 of Guam’s Kimberley Layson.

Australia, meanwhile, is running second in the medal standings with nine gold, nine silver, and one bronze to its credit.

Third place in the ranking is Samoa with eight gold, two silver, and one bronze. Fiji (7 gold, 5 silver, 3 bronze) and Papua New Guinea (4 gold, 4 silver, and 2 bronze) complete the Top 5.

Other gold medal winners yesterday were Australia’s Thomas McGuire in the men’s hammer (46.00m), Alexis Valdenaire of Tahiti in the under-18 hammer throw (50.24m), Tasele Satupai of Samoa in the under-18 hammer (34.58m), and Kelly Humpries of Australia in the women’s hammer throw (45.57m) in the field events.

Winning gold in the track events were Salome Dell of PNG in the 400m sprint (55.45) and 800m (2:10.92), Joshua Ahwong of Australia in the men’s 400m sprint (48.26), Paulini Korowaqa of Fiji in the under-18 women’s 200m sprint (25.74), Dean Searles of Australia in the men’s under-18 800m (1:57.19), Aunese Curreen of Samoa in the men’s 800m (1:51.16),

Winning in the hurdles were Milika Tuivanuavou of Fiji in the women’s 100m (16.22), Daniel McLean of Australia in the under-18 men’s 110m, and Toriki Urarii of Tahiti in the men’s 110m (15.11).

Tim Rogers of Norfolk Island, meanwhile, won gold in the steeplechase (12:18.36). Makalesi Tumalevu of Fiji won the women’s long jump (5.70m), while Samoa’s Monique Lafaialii took the gold in the women’s triple jump (10.20m).

In the mixed distance relay, Australia won the under-18 mixed race in a time of 1:42.14, while Fiji won the mixed relay by clocking in at 1:38.29.