Twins Addira and Chayille Collette stunned onlookers by finishing in a dead heat in the under-20 100m final at the national track and field championships in Wellington on Friday.
The duo from Manawatū-Whanganui couldn’t be separated as they flashed over the finish line in a time of 11.61 seconds at Newtown Park.
Addira made an excellent start but Chayille produced a big finish, combined with a dip at the perfect moment, in a dramatic photo finish.
It was later confirmed that the duo had recorded exactly the same time.There was a 2.8-per-second tailwind. Chayille has won every race this summer in the 100m sprint races she has entered.
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Auckland’s Marielle Venida came third in a time of 11.80 seconds.
New Zealand has produced its share of talented track athletes, who are twins. Distance runners Zane and Jake Robertson have been the most prominent twins on the circuit in recent years.
WARWICK SMITH/Stuff
Twins Chayille (left) and Addira Collette were in great form in Wellington in Friday. FILE PHOTO
Meanwhile, sprinter Zoe Hobbs followed up her record-breaking run in the heats with a sensational victory in the 100m final.
Auckland’s Hobbs left her fellow competitors in the dust, coming home in an astonishing 10.89 seconds at an electric Newtown Park – her first time under 11 seconds.
However, due to the strong 3.4-metre-per-second tailwind in the capital, her time will not be counted as a new national record, which she set earlier in the day by winning her heat in 11.07sec.
