Taonga Mbambo is on a cross-country mission. Photo Mike LewisAshburton cross-country runner Taonga Mbambo’s build-up to the Australian Cross-Country Championships took a big leap forward at the weekend.

The Ashburton member of the Canterbury University Athletics Club participated at the New Zealand Cross-Country Championships as part of the Canterbury athletics team and from a field of 43 runners, finished third in the men’s under-18 race. He covered the 6km distance in a time of 22.07 minutes to come home with a bronze medal.

With that done, he is now turning his attention to a trip to Australia later this month with the New Zealand secondary schools’ team where he’ll compete in the Australian Cross-Country Championships.

Mbambo said all he did would not have been possible without the help of the Ashburton community, which had supported him as he set about raising funds to be a part of that team to get to Australia.

It has been a big year for Mbambo. Earlier this year he broke a record that had stood for 37 years at the Ashburton College athletics finals day, with his new record time of 9.24.8 minutes in the 3000m around six seconds faster than the previous record set by Bruce Gabites. He then went on to set a new record for the under-19 men’s 3000m at the Aorakis, and at the South Island Secondary Schools’ Athletics Championships Mbambo was fourth in the under-19 men’s 3000m, finishing just seconds behind the winner in 9.01.39 minutes. He was also eighth in the 1500m.

At the Ashburton College school cross country he was first to cross the finish line in the 4km senior boys’ race in 12 minutes 47 seconds.

Mbambo was also part of the Ashburton College team that contested the Canterbury secondary schools’ road race in May. The team was third overall, with Mbambo the fourth individual across the line.

His selection into the New Zealand secondary schools’ cross-country team to travel to the Australian Championships followed his sixth place finish at the New Zealand Secondary Schools’ Cross-Country in Taupo where he ran a time of 19.50 minutes.

Mbambo will travel to Australia’s Sunshine Coast in August for the Australian Open and Schools Cross-Country Championships later this month.

By Erin Tasker © The Ashburton Guardian - 11 August 2018