Officialdom under fire over eligibility

Top teenage athlete Josh Mitchell was competing against a backdrop of uncertainty at the South Island Secondary School Athletics Championships over the weekend.

As expected, the Stoke star blitzed his rivals in the U16 200 metres, the  400m and the long jump  at the Saxton athletics track, but whether the official results will be rubber stamped is still to be decided.

Josh is homeschooled and competes as an independent athlete. SISS delegate John Gamblin confirms his victories stand, for now, but have been sent on to the governing body, School Sport New Zealand for ratification.

Josh’s coach Tony Aikenhead says the results must be officially endorsed, but history suggests getting them over the line isn’t guaranteed.

“Josh was third in the long jump at the nationals in Timaru last December and he got his bronze medal. No problem, but when he won the 400m there was one. Officials handed out two gold medals with the runner-up getting one as well and being declared first equal,” fumes Tony.

He raised the issue at the annual general meeting of the South Island Secondary Schools Association last Friday, calling for action at national level.

“This has to stop as it is total inconsistency. It is absolute discrimination against a homeschooled athlete. I am thinking of approaching the Human Rights Commission as well. You have to change the rules. We are trying to foster sport, so why would you let someone compete and then say you can’t get a medal? Josh’s family strike this in every sport. Barriers are put in their way. It is ridiculous,” says an incensed Tony.

One of Josh’s training mates, triple and long jump champion Ruby Darwen reacted succinctly.

“It’s stupid.” Earlier Josh had erased his own doubts in winning the 200m.

“I wasn’t expecting to go sub 23 seconds as I mainly concentrate on the 400m,” reveals Josh.

He went out hard in the 400m, hoping to go under 50 seconds but had to settle for 50.51.

“There was no competition to push me in the back straight.”

Josh completed a treble by taking out the long jump with a leap of 6.23m.

Now he’s turning his attention to his other sporting passion - football, where hardly surprisingly he is a winger or centre midfielder for Nelson Suburbs.