Simms wins Silver in Oceania Games

Between the 21st  to the 23rd of June, Phil Simms attended an open Oceania Athletics Championships.  There were 22 countries participating at this event .  New Zealand and Australia were the strongest teams present, so this year, the organisers decided to allocate separate medals for the west and the east of the area.  This meant that New Zealand and Australia were not in the same zone, so it gave smaller countries a chance to gain a medal.

On the first day, Phil ran a very good time of 54.42 in the 400m hurdles.  This time was good enough to secure him a silver medal from the eastern zone.  He was only 0.2 seconds behind the winner, who also represented New Zealand.  Later on that day, Phil ran out of the blocks to lead the way for New Zealands’  4 by 400m relay.  The team came second to the quick Fijians.  Phil ran the same leg as the 19 year old who broke the 100m and 200m Oceania record.

On the second day, Phil competed in the 4 by 100m relay.  Despite being taped up from head to toe and looking like a mummy, from running injuries as well as poolside antics, he bought the team home in second to the same Fijian youth from the day before.  

Phil competed in the Long Jump during the final day of the competition.  In this particular event there was no long jump board to jump off.  Insulating tape was used to gauge where the competitor's foot had taken off from.  This meant that the no-jump calls were very much up to the discretion of the Official.  Phil came a commendable 4th  in this event, with a jump of 6m54. The New Zealand team came fourth in the medal count overall, with 7 gold, 11 silver and 3 bronze medals.