By Tupou Vaipulu Jr.

A total of 57 athletics records were entered in the Record Book at the national secondary schools athletic sports in Nuku'alofa this month.

The large number of records for 2024 reflected a reset in over 90 years of sporting records in Tonga, after the setting of a new age limit, along with new events/categories introduced at the 97^th Secondary Schools Athletic Sports, held at Teufaiva Stadium, over the week 2-5 April, and this year sponsored by TongaHealth.

In 2019 the age limit for the senior grade, was reduced to 18 years, replacing the previous limit of 19 years old.

President of the sports committee, Hingano Ha‘alaufia, told Matangi Tonga this means that the best times, distances and heights were compared for only the years 2019 to 2024. Although this change marked a new beginning for the sports' competitions in Tonga, the old records are still kept for the intercollegiate system that was used prior to 2019.

"The records were not re-written, even though the change was made that year," said Ha'alaufia.

"The records we will release, we started counting from 2019."

The annual inter-collegiate sports are also undergoing a transition from manual recording to electronic recording.

The manual records since 2019 sit beside the best electronic performances this year (where the manual record was better).

Honorary Record for future king

A new entry in 2024 was made in the Midget Boys Shot Put and Discus where two “Honorary Records” were given to the young Prince Taufa'ahau Manumataongo Tuku'aho for throwing a Shot Put (5.31m) and a Discus (15.58m). "The committee of principals have agreed to include these records in the intercollegiate sports competition record book for Tonga," said Ha'alaufia, explaining that it commemorated the participation of the young prince in the sports. "He will be our eighth King and it's rarely we have a future King participate in these competitions; the last King who participated in the intercollegiate sports was Tupou IV."

He said that this honorary record cannot be broken by “just anyone” and that only another royal, most likely another future King, can compete to break this record. The Honorary Records were entered in the book, alongside the other Midget Boys records.

In the Midget Boys Shot Put, a GMS Vahe Kolo school boy, Tulutulu Kalaniuvalu, also won a gold medal for his 10.24m throw.

New records for 2024 were set in the following events: