Leila-Jae was one of the first to receive a ‘Letter of Commendation’. She is 13-year-old, a thrower with a huge talent and track record, but at 13 was outside the selection criteria of 14th birthday to 21st birthday (both days inclusive).

In December 2022, Leila competed in her first NZ Secondary Schools Nationals Champs before winning silver in the U16 Women's Shotput and then Bronze in the U16 Women's Hammer at the NZ Track and Field Champs in Feb 2023.

This was followed with a silver in the Intermediate Girls Hammer and Bronze in the Intermediate Girls Shotput at the Auckland College Champs in Marc. She also won the Auckland College western zone intermediate girls shotput at the same meet.   Success was repeated with a silver in the Intermediate Girls Hammer at the 2023 North Island Secondary Schools Champs

As a training and learning exercise, Leila-Jae then travelled to the Australia Track and Field Champs, placing 8th in both U16 Women’s Hammer and Shotput.

She's now focusing on NZ Secondary Schools Nationals in Dec 2023, then NZ Track and Field Champs in Feb 2024.