Athletics
Wairarapa athlete Alison Andrews-Paul continued her late push for Olympic qualification in the 800m by finishing third and seventh in two events two days apart in Canada last weekend.
The recently crowned Oceania champion ran close to a personal best in finishing third in 2:01.10 in a meet in Edmonton but couldn’t back it up, crossing the line in seventh in a time of 2:04.77 two days later in Vancouver.
Andrews-Paul’s world ranking is 75, and she remains a long shot to make the top 45 to be a chance of going to Paris, but the 26-year-old is determined to push hard with several big meets across North America in the next couple of weeks before the qualifying period ends.
Indoor Bowls
Four players from the Horseshoe Club turned in some top results from the recent Club NZ Men’s Indoor Bowls Championships in Pukekohe.
The team of Kelly Simonsen, George Baker, Alex Butler, and Donald Leighton made the semifinals in the fours. The triple of Baker, Butler, and Leighton made the top eight; Simonsen and Butler made the last eight in the pairs, while Baker and Leighton qualified in the singles, with Baker reaching the last 16.
In the Emerson Mixed Pairs, Simonsen and Marilyn King defeated Logan Mikoz and Dale Stanton 5–0 in the final.
The final round of the interclub Hikawai Trophy was played. Horseshoe won the trophy with their 5–3 win over East, while Central and Clareville drew 4–4.
Central defeated Horseshoe 8–6 and have a one-point lead after the second round of Interclub. Central beat Clareville in the other fixture.