Veronica Wall in action on the water in 2017. Photo supplied.The Aoraki Secondary Schools Sports Awards are set to celebrate their 20th anniversary in style in Timaru on Friday night.

Some of the winners since Waitaki Girls’ High School netballer Tara Pate – who was from Ashburton – and Waimate High School’s cyclist Heath Blackgrove took out the inaugural awards back in 1999 have gone on to do some pretty amazing things on the world stage.

There were three world champions, seven Olympians and two Commonwealth Games champions among the past winners.

Shot putter Tom Walsh from Timaru Boys’ High School took out the boys’ award in 2009 and since then has won the world indoor and outdoor titles and is an Olympic bronze medallist.

Cyclist Marc Ryan (TBHS) won the Aoraki boys’ prize in 2000 and Dylan Kennett (Waitaki Boys’) followed him more than a decade later in 2011.

They however teamed up to be team pursuit world champions.

In between Shane Archbold (Mountainview High School) took the title in 2007 and 2008 and went on to become the Commonwealth Games scratch race champion.

Cyclist Lauren Ellis (Ashburton College) also won twice at the Aoraki Schools awards and progressed to win the silver at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi in the team pursuit and was also a 3-time medallist at the world championships.

Mayfield rower Emma Dyke (Craighead) was part of the women’s eight at the Rio Olympics that finished fourth.

Inaugural winner Pate also had success in her chosen sport of netball representing New Zealand at the World Youth Cup in 2000 as a defender and then made the New Zealand under 21 team to the world championships under captain Adine Harper.

In 2001, Southern Sting coach Robyn Broughton rated the Otago Rebels’ Pate as one of the best players in netball’s national league.

Representatives from 16 different sports have won over the 19 years with athletics leading the way with eight, cycling seven and rowing five.

Ashburton College leads the award winners with 10 in total (six girls, four boys) from TBHS with seven and Craighead Diocesan School with five.

Five students have won the title more than once including 400m runner Samuel Wilson (Ashburton College), cyclist Lauren Ellis (Ashburton), tennis player Emily Fanning (Craighead), clay target shooter William Rooney (TBHS) and rower Veronica Wall (Ashburton).

Wall managed to smash all sorts of records at the Maadi Cup and along with fellow 2017 winner, rugby player Cullen Grace (TBHS), looks set for big things so it will be interesting to see where their undoubted talent takes them.

By Stu Piddington © The Ashburton Guardian - 31 October 2018