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"Just a few days ago Ryan Ballantyne (born 8th January 1999) set about revising his personal best with the 5kg ball. He had managed to ..."
Just a few days ago Ryan Ballantyne (born 8th January 1999) set about revising his personal best with the 5kg ball. He had managed to exceed 20m for the first time a month earlier, but neither he nor his coach, family and friends were prepared for what he achieved at the NZL Secondary Schools Championships in Waitakere City near Auckland.
His opening effort was a foretaste of what was to follow, 20.15m. In the second round he absolutely exploded, to a world under-18 leading performance in 2016 of 21.66m! The rest of his series was good quality: 20.75m x 20.31m 20.82m - a total of five throws beyond his previous best.
A move from Hamilton south to Christchurch in 2017 will enable Ryan to work closely with his coach, and also interact with New Zealand's top shot exponent, Tom Walsh. That can only benefit this youngster, and his future looks very bright...
