Southland athletes prepare for Pacific Games in the Solomon Islands
“It will be a fantastic opportunity to gain experience in an international competition for both Rebecca and Hayato.”
Athletics Southland will have three representatives at the Pacific Games in the Solomon Islands, which will run from November 19 to December 3.
Athletes Rebecca Peterson (Athletics Invercargill) and Hayato Yoneto (Queenstown) will both compete.
Coach and team Manager Chris Knight will also travel to the event. The athletics competition will take place from November 27 to Dec 1 at the KGVI Athletics Stadium in Honiara.
Peterson will compete in the 100m, long jump, triple jump, and 4x100m relay over the five days of the program.
She is very excited and honoured to be selected as part of the New Zealand team.
Paterson has been on the comeback trail after a few years away from the sport while studying and working in Christchurch.
Yoneto will compete in the 100m, 200m, and 4 x100m relay. He had a big 2022-23 season which included breaking both the 100m and 200m Southland senior men’s records.
For both athletes, it will be their first time representing New Zealand.
Athletics Southland is very proud to have two athletes in the team.
Knight will be making his return to the Pacific Games after leading the athletics team to the event when it was last held in Samoa in 2019.
Knight said he was looking forward to the opportunity to be part of the team and to have one of his own athletes, Patterson, as part of the team.
“It will be a fantastic opportunity to gain experience in an international competition for both Rebecca and Hayato.”
“While conditions will be challenging it will be an awesome experience and a lot of learning will occur.”