Athletics New Zealand - Weekly Roundup
MT EVEREST
New Zealand’s Anna Frost conquered Mt Everest in record breaking time, setting a women’s record of 4h 35m 4s for the Everest Marathon on Friday.
Frost, who is based in the UK, finished sixth overall and reduced the record by a huge margin of 27 minutes. The previous record was set by Angela Mudge in the last race in 2007.
Frost had spent some time in the region before the race preparing and acclimatising for the gruelling encounter of 42.2km, which starts at an altitude of 5184m at Gorak Shep, beside the last huts before Everest Base Camp. The race finishes at an altitude of 3446m at Namche Bazaar. The Guinness Book of Records lists the marathon as having the highest start line in the world.
NORTH SHORE
Battle of the Cities, round 4-final, Sovereign Stadium
Beatrice Faumuina opened her athletic season with a qualifying throw in the discus for the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi next year.Competing at the Battle of the Cities meeting at North Shore’s Sovereign Stadium on Saturday, in far from ideal conditions, the 1997 world champion was out to 56.09m, just over the performance standard for the Games of 56m.
Faumuina, the Commonwealth gold medallist in the discus at the 1998 Kuala Lumpur and the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games, said that she was extremely pleased with her first outing of the season.
“In today’s conditions pretty rapt with it, it was my first outing in months, so I’m very happy,” she said.
The 35 year old said that instead of training over the winter months offshore a decision was made with her coach Ross Dallow to knuckle down to a solid build up in Auckland.
“We made the decision really early that it was a good idea to stay home and have a really heavy winter and I haven’t even backed off that phase yet as much as I’d like to. I’ve been given strong advice from my coach ‘no’,” she added.
Faumuina is ranked 44th in the world and third in the Commonwealth this year with her New Zealand title throw of 60.03m in Wellington in March.
A total of 100 women athletes in the world have thrown over 56m this year, but only nine in the Commonwealth have bettered that mark.
Dani Samuels of Australia who won the world title in Berlin in August heads the Commonwealth rankings with her throw in Berlin of 65.44m.
At the last Commonwealth Games in Melbourne in 2006 Faumuina was fourth with a throw of 59.12m and at the Beijing Olympic Games last year she failed to make the final, throwing 57.15m in the preliminary rounds.
Former New Zealand junior 100m champion and record holder Matt Brown came of age in the 400m with a convincing victory.
The 23 year old drew an outside lane and did not sight another athlete as he flew around the track in a personal best 47.52s. Ben Potter challenged over the final 50m but could not match the sting of Brown and had to settle for second in 48.14s. James Dolphin was third in 48.50s.
Brown said it has been three years since he last raced over 400m with his previous best around 50 seconds.
“I’ve only done the 400m in relays at national in recent years,” he said.
“It was a good field today and I was a bit nervous going into it, that’s for sure, I was expecting them to come around as I was coming off the bend, but I didn’t see them. I was stoked, really good to finally get a win, it’s been a while, it feels good,” said Brown.
The 400m is likely to become a regular event for Brown.
“I keep getting hamstring niggles – I did one about three weeks ago, just a minor one so my sort of plan is start running some 4’s and hopefully build into it. But the 4’s are definitely an opportunity to get some good times in anyway and make a bit of a statement,” he said.
Other highlights came from Carl Van der Speck in the 100m in 10.60s (-0.2) beating junior Isaac Tatoa and Craig Bearda who both recorded 10.88s, Campbell Wu’s M16 300m in 38.55s just outside the standard of 38s for a New Zealand record, Jacko Gill’s M16 throw of 59.65m with a 1.25kg discus and Alex Parlane’s M19 1500m win in 3m 54.35s to head the junior rankings this season. Georgie Grgec won the W16 1500m in 4m 46.82s.
North Shore City won the competition beating Auckland with Manukau third.
MT MAUNGANUI
The annual Mt Maunganui King and Queen of the Mountain race held on Boxing Day continues to go from strength to strength since its inception in 1946.
Vitasport – a isotonic water supplement has just taken up the naming rights sponsor for this popular summer event. A record field of 154 took part in 2007 and the organisers are expecting this number to be exceeded when the runners go to the starting line on Saturday 26 December at 2.30pm.
MT RUAPEHU
Goat Alpine Adventure Run – 21km from Whakapapa to Turoa
Sjors Corporaal of Galatea in the Bay of Plenty won in 1h 57m, over two minutes ahead of Rees Buck of Wellington 1h 59m 40s. Chris Morrissey of Papamoa was third in 2h 3m 10s. Ruby Muir of Whitianga won the women’s race in 2h 25m 46s from Piret Klade of Palmerston North 2h 32m 51s and Annika Smail of Rotorua 2h 34m 57s.
HASTINGS
North Island Combined Events Championships
Portia Bing of North Shore bettered the standard of 4800 set for a New Zealand W16 heptathlon record scoring 4811 points at the North Island combined events championships over the weekend. However the record is subject to ratification and verification of the wind readings in relation to the latest revised IAAF rules.
Her best performance on the first day of competition was in the 100m hurdles recording a time of 14.60s.
Her performances were: 100 hurdles 14.60s (+2.3) 895, high jump 1.67m 818, shot put 8.72m 446, 200m 25.62s (+3.4) 831, long jump 5.25m (+1.2) 628, javelin 33.26m 538, 800m 2m 33.09s 655. Paige Harwood of Pakuranga was second with 4252 with Ariana Blackwood of Manawatu third with 3425.
Stephen Buckley of North Shore won the senior decathlon with a total score of 7074 points, Callum McConachy of Manawatu was second with 5405. Anthony Curry of Pakuranga won the M19 decathlon with 3715 points. The M16 Octathlon was won by Ross Walker-Smart with 4408 points Joseph Reynolds of Tauranga Ramblers was second with 3633.
NEW PLYMOUTH
Daniel Fake of Hawera was awarded the Taranaki Junior Sportsman of the Year at the recent Taranaki Sports Awards. Fake won the M16 triple jump and high jump national titles at the New Zealand championships in March and represented New Zealand at the Pacific School Games, the Australian Youth Olympic Festival and the World Youth Games in Italy.
Also the late Stan Lay and Norman Read were inducted as inaugural inductees into the Taranaki Sports Hall of Fame. Lay won the gold medal in the javelin at the 1930 British Empire Games in Hamilton Canada and Read won the gold medal in the 50km road walk at the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games.
WELLINGTON
Gold Programme
Michael Wilson senior men 100m 10.8s (+3.0), 200m 22.2s (+1.7), Nathan Barrett 1000m 2m 31.8s, Jacinda Swain 1500m 4m 38.8s, Barbara Roy W19 1500m 4m 44.8s, Keeley O’Hagan W16 high jump 1.65m, Ryan Tinkle M19 hammer throw (5kg) 63.97m, Peter Baillie M60 5000m track walk 26m 35.1s, Anne Hare broke her own Wellington masters W45-49 400m record HT 66.9s, breaking the ET 67.99s set on 7th November. The previous weekend in Palmerston North at the North Island masters championships Hare set a W45-49 800m record of 2m 23.72s, breaking Pam Graham’s 1995 record of 2m 24.27s. Hare also set a North Island masters 1500m record of 4m 54.34s.
NELSON
Saxton Field Athletics Track
Hazel Bowering-Scott won the 100m in 12.77s and the 200m in 26.31s. Nyle Sunderland won the women’s 3000m race walk in 16m 52.03s. Brendon Barnett won the long jump with 6.34m.
CHRISTCHURCH
Chris Wiremu set a Canterbury M15 100m hurdles record of 13.50s (+0.1) at the Canterbury Centre meeting at QEII Stadium on Saturday. Courtney Ruske was also in record breaking form improving by nearly four seconds on her own W15 2000m walk record with her time of 9m 58.15s.
Hannah Newbould was again under the world junior championships 1500m performance standard of 4m 28s, clocking 4m 23.01s. Mark Bailey won the 3000m in 8m 33.61s. Angela Smit W19 400m in 56.38s, Hayden Hall M16 discus 48.61m and javelin 37.49m, Toby Martin M19 triple jump 13.56m (+0.2), David Ambler 100m 10.73s (-0.2), Mackenzie Keenan W15 100m hurdles 12.39s (-0.4), and Rebecca Wardell 200m 25.38s (-1.7) also high jump 1.55m and shot put 13.07m.
DUNEDIN
Lauren Wilson W19 100m 12.63s (-0.1) and 200m 25.77s (+1.1). Rebekah Greene won the W16 400m in 57.91s, Brent Cheshire won the M16 high jump clearing 1.80m.
INVERCARGILL
Surrey Park Saturday
Greer Alsop (15) took advantage of calm conditions to extend her own Southland W15 to SW triple jump record with a leap of 11.45m (+1.3). Charlotte Muschamp (17) was close behind with 11.38m (+1.1). On the track Matthew Robinson sharpened up for the secondary schools next week with a 11.27s 100m and 22.30s 200m, both into a 2.4 headwind. Glen Ballam (M19) ran 1m 23.26s to win the 600m and Christina Taylor (W19) was first woman in 1m 41.46s. William Hubber (M19) was best of the throwers with a 42.21m discus.
OVERSEAS NEWS
AUSTRALIA
Brisbane 28.11.09; Veronica Torr 100m 12.26s (+1.9), 200m 25.12s (+2.3), 100m hurdles 14.20s (+1.9), shot put 11.53m.
Correction to last week’s report on the Great Australian Run, Kellie Palmer was 14th in the women’s race not 10th as reported.