Dave Leech

Born and raised in Christchurch, Dave was selected for the Perth 1962 British Empire Games (now the Commonwealth Games) in Hammer Throw.  He finished in seventh place with a throw of 50.74m.

Leech won his first national hammer throw championship in 1952, with a distance of 43.48m and a second national title with a throw of 51.52m in 1962.  Going on to win four national titles with successive victories in 1964 and 1965. His best winning throw was in 1964 with a distance of 54.10m becoming the first New Zealander to achieve a distance of over 54 metres.

In later years, Dave went on to compete in Master Championships, winning a bronze medal in the M70 World Veterans Championships in 1997.

Giving back to his sport, Dave held the role of Assistant Manager for athletics during the Christchurch 1974 Commonwealth Games and again at the Montreal 1976 Olympic Games.