Runner to take on Commonwealth at youth games | Manawatu-Wanganui Sport | Surfing, Rugby, Soccer, Football, Cricket in Manawatu-Wanganui

The major bonus for an outstanding March on the track for Collegiate 400m runner Tom Symes is being able to take part in the Commonwealth Youth Games in the Isle of Man.

Leaving tomorrow, he will not only take part in his favoured event at the September 7-13 games but will also participate in the New Zealand 4x100m relay team.

After early injury problems, Symes was selected after winning the New Zealand M16 400m title in March and then the North Island Secondary Schools 400m title a week later.

He also ran in the winning 4x400m relay team at both meetings and the 4x100m silver medal team at the NZ Championships and the gold medal team at the North Island Schools.

Symes missed the NZ Secondary Schools competition in December last year through injury and did well to rehabilitate in time for the second half of the season.

In winning the NZ title in Dunedin in March, he ran under 50sec for the one lap for the first time and further improved his time in Hamilton at the North Island Schools the following week, gaining selection for the NZ Youth team.

He was disqualified in the North Island 200m (with Usain Bolt's recent disqualification in the World Championships, he's in good company), but showed his real competitiveness by running the anchor leg for the Wanganui relay team 20 minutes later with his first sub-49sec timing.

Symes has had his first winter of training and has noticed the difference between training with a large group in summer and on his own in winter. His training performances have been better than in the lead-up to the meetings in March, but it has been difficult to gain competitive races.

He raced in Auckland over 300m last week and improved his time further over the distance in a time-trial over the same distance at Cooks Gardens on Tuesday, when he produced a personal best of 35.6sec. He has also had a 400m outing against a 4x100m relay team made up from the Collegiate school hockey team.

He competes on day one of the athletics programme in the Isle of Man and, if he progresses beyond round one, will have to run his semifinal on the same day.