Winners of the 2021 Christine Tustain Sports Award announced
The winners of the 2021 Christine Tustain Sports Award are Hannah Gapes and Joseph Smythe. Chosen by Sport Bay of Plenty, this award recognises secondary school students who are excelling in their chosen sports to provide funding for international competition.
A Year 13 student at John Paul College in Rotorua, Hannah is a top runner, competing in track in the 1500m, 3000m, 5000m and steeplechase. She also competes in cross country and road racing. Most recently, she won the secondary school nationals in cross country at the 4K distance, winning by 57 seconds. Earlier in the year, Hannah won the under-20s 5000m at the NZ Track and Field Championship in only her second time competing at that distance.
Joseph is a Year 13 student at Tauranga Boys’ College who competes at a high level in squash. Although COVID has interrupted some of his tournaments, in 2020, Joseph was named the BOP Squash Senior Player of the Year and Squash NZ’s Most Improved Junior Boy. Joseph placed 1st in the North Island Juniors, 2nd in the National Juniors and 2nd in the Secondary Schools Nationals. Once international competition can resume, Joseph will compete with the NZ World Junior Boys Team.
Congratulations to both Hannah and Joseph for their selection for this award, and we send a huge thank you to Chris Tustain for her generosity in supporting the efforts of young athletes to excel!