Ashburton’s Taonga Mbambo in action at the Australian Cross Country Championships on the Sunshine Coast. Photo supplied.Taonga Mbambo proved that he could more than keep pace with some of the best cross country runners from both Australia and New Zealand at the weekend.

The year 13 Ashburton College student was part of the New Zealand team which headed across the ditch to race in the Australian Cross Country Championships and he finished 12th.

He was also the third New Zealander to cross the finish line out of a total of 82 athletes in the event held on the Sunshine Coast, and Mbambo was happy to finish so far up the field in what was his first overseas racing experience.

The race was won by Murdoch McIntyre from New Zealand in a time of 20.14 minutes.

Mbambo raced home in 21 minutes for the 6km course and overall he and his New Zealand team-mates finished third.

They then went on to participate in a road race relay, in which they also came home third.

It had been a big few months for Mbambo.

Just a few days before heading to Australia, he took part in the Canterbury Road Race Championships and placed first in the under-18 men’s section in a time of 18.52 minutes.

Earlier this month he was part of the Canterbury athletics team that contested the New Zealand Cross Country Championships and out of a field of 43 Mbambo was third in the men’s under-18 section, covering the 6km in 22.07 minutes.

His selection for the team to head to Australia followed his sixth placing at the New Zealand secondary schools’ championships in Taupo in June.

The Australian trip was the last of the cross country season for Mbambo, but there was little time to sit back and relax, with the summer athletics season just around the corner.

He would now turn his attention to training for track events, where he was also a formidable opponent over the longer distances.

By Erin Tasker © The Ashburton Guardian - 28 August 2018