Encouraged by Athletics Master- in-Charge Graeme Christey and coach Matt Thatcher, he only opted to focus on athletics in October 2022 after showing his speed on the football field. Just six months later, AJ won multiple titles at the Canterbury Secondary Schools Track & Field Championships, including the U19 triple jump (13.85m), the
100m (11.22sec), and the 200m (22.51sec). In April 2023, he won the U19 triple jump (13.57m) and U19 200m (21.93) at the South Island Secondary Schools Track and Field Championships. He also finished 2nd in the U19 100m (11.19). That same month, he helped to power the national U18 4x100m relay team to 2nd place – and a New Zealand-record 41.46sec – at
the Australian Junior Track & Field Championships in Brisbane and finished 5th in the 200m. In May 2023, AJ was awarded the Junior Athlete of the Year title at the Athletics Canterbury Awards. At that point, he had been training in earnest for only seven months. In December 2023, AJ won the national senior triple jump title, set a personal-best 10.64sec in the
COLLEGE 2024
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