New Zealand 10,000m Championships

Rees Buck and junior Aaron Pulford battled out a great finish to the national 10,000m championship at the Tauranga Domain on Tuesday evening.
Buck from Wellington, the 2007 national 5000m champion and three times national 3000m champion, just held out Pulford in a time of 30m 01.9s. Pulford clocked in at 30m 02.1s. Pulford of Hamilton has been re-selected for the world junior cross country championships in Poland in March and the 10,000m time (under the entry standard of 31m) qualifies him for selection to the world junior championships in Canada in July. Kim Hogarth of Nelson was second in the senior men’s championship in 30m 21.8s with Takapuna’s Stephen Lett third in 30m 57.1s. Jonathan Jackson of Auckland fourth in the combined race and second in the M19 championships qualified for selection to both the world junior cross country championships and the world junior track and field championships with his time of 30m 53.3s. Alex Parlane of Pakuranga was third in the M19 in 31m 54.8s.
Andrea Woodvine from Britain was the first senior woman in 33m 29.9s, the national title going to Rachel Kingsford of Otago in 35m 11.4s. Michelle Hopkins of Pakuranga was third and second in the title in 36m 13.7s. Third in the national title was Tina Harris of Wellington in 37m 2.3s. Bernadine Portenski of Wellington, seventh in the women’s race set a New Zealand Masters 60-64 record of 39m 47.4s.

NEW ZEALAND 10,000M CHAMPIONSHIP
(Tauranga)
Men.-
Rees Buck (Wgtn) 30m 01.9s 1, Kim Hogarth (Nelson) 30m 21.8s 2, Stephen Lett (Takapuna) 30m 57.1s 3, Stefan Smith (Wgtn) 31m 10.4s 4, Ben Ruthe (Tauranga) 31m 18.8s 5, Dylan Grant (North Harbour) 31m 27.9s 6.
M19.-
Aaron Pulford (Hamilton) 30m 02.1s 1, Jonathan Jackson (Akld) 30m 53.3s 2, Alex Parlane (Pakuranga) 31m 54.8s 3, Ben Barry (Wgtn) 33m 15.0s 4, Cory Whiting (Hamilton) 33m 58.7s 5, Michael Sutton (Tauranga) 34m 24.2s 6.
Women.-
Andrea Woodvine (GB) 33m 29.9s 1, Rachel Kingsford (Otago) 35m 11.4s 2, Michelle Hopkins (Pakuranga) 36m 13.7s 3, Tina Harris (Wgtn) 37m 2.3s 4, Tara La Grange (North Habour) 37m 48.5s 5, Gabrielle O’Rourke (Wgtn) 37m 51.9s 6.

At the same meeting Brent Newdick won the discus with 44.10m, the shot put 14.42m and the long jump 6.89m. Sarah Cowley was out to 5.77m in the long jump and Nneka Okpala cleared 12.15m in the triple jump. Rochelle Coster won the sprint double in 12.16s (+1.9) and 25.31s (+4.3) with Joseph Millar also achieving the double with 11.06s (+2.3) and 22.35s (+2.6). Michael Eggleton won the 800m in 1m 57.9s.

MT MAUNGANUI
King and Queen of the Mountain, 26 December 2009
Iain MacDonald reclaimed the King of the Mountain title at Mt Maunganui.
MacDonald, the winner in 2006, scrambled up and down the mountain covering the 4.5km in 19m 11s, to beat Sjors Corporaal from Galatea by 14 seconds.
The Tauranga runner was 26 seconds outside Angus Bell’s 2007 record.
Helen Rountree of Hamilton made it two years in a row in the Queen of the Mountain, racing well clear in the demanding event to win by nearly a minute in 23m 19s.
Rountree set a women’s record of 22m 16s last year. Ruby Muir of Whitianga, women’s winner of the recent 21km run around the flanks of Mt Ruapehu, was second in 24m 14s, with Sarah McSweeney of Morrinsville following up her third in 2007 with another third in 24m 46s.

TAURANGA
NEW YEAR’S DAY MEETING
Nick Willis won the 800m/3000m double in times of 1m 54.56s and 8m 28.12s. National junior 800m champion Michael Whitehead of Pukekohe was second to Willis in the 800m in 1m 55.48s. Macklin Chaffee from USA was second in the 3000m in 8m 34.88s with Malcolm Hicks of Auckland third in 8m 36.29s. Ben Ruthe was fourth in 8m 38.43s. Willis is in New Zealand training before he returns to the States to compete over the mile at the Boston Indoor Games on 6 February. At the Indoor Games last year Willis won the mile in 3m 53.54s.
Joseph Millar (17) won the 100m in 11.14s (-0.9) and ran a PB 400m of 48.65s. He also won the 200m in 22.11s (-1.4).
Jacinda Swain won the women’s 800m in 2m 17.57s. Andrea Woodvine of the UK won the women’s 3000m in 9m 28.87s from Erin Montgomery 9m 39.41s and Lydia O’Donnell 9m 43.47s. Danielle Trevis was fourth in 9m 49.13s.
Michael Cochrane won the M19 110m hurdles in 14.71s (-0.5) and the long jump 6.12m (+0.5). Scott Nelson won the 3000m walk in 13m 40.62s.

CHRISTCHURCH – 30 December 2009
Kelsey Berryman (17) won the 100m in 12.45s (+2.5), 200m in 25.78s (+1.5) and 100m hurdles in 14.93s (+2.5). Georgina Allison (18) took out the 400m in 59.71s. Scott Walker (17) won the 100m in 10.95s (+2.1), Todd Mansfield the 200m in 21.89s (+1.8) and Tim Jones the 400m in 49.48s. Jesse Bryant (14) long jump 6.61m (+3.6), Hayden Hall (16) javelin 42.14m and Kate Newitt (19) 2000m walk 9m 3.64s.

TIMARU – 2 January 2010
Lovelock Mile
Brett Clifford (16) won the annual Lovelock mile in 4m 55.77s.
Rebecca Hodgson set a meeting record of 45.59m in the women’s hammer throw. Rebecca Wardell won the 200m in 25.13s (+3.8) beating Nicola Hely 25.19s. Wardell also won the long jump 5.45m (+3.2) and the javelin throwing 41.42m.
Anna Smythe was a clear winner of the 100m in 11.86s (+0.1), from Hely 12.32s and Larissa Dyke 12.58s. Tim Jones won the men’s sprint double with 11.05s (+0.1) in the 100m and 22.20s (+3.8) in the 200m.
Jesse Bryant was out to a legal 6.47m (+1.0) in the long jump. Simon Small was over at 1.90m in the high jump and Tom Walsh won the shot put with 14.43m.

OVERSEAS NEWS
Bendigo Australia 19 December, Jason Woolhouse 3000m 8m 12.24s 3rd.

AUSTRALIAN STATE CUP MATCH
The Australia State Cup Match will be run in conjunction with the Canberra Grand Prix on January 30 2010. Those athletes interested in competing for New Zealand are asked to file out an Expression of Interest and select competition number (15 Canberra GP-AUS Cup Match) on the form and submit in order to be considered for selection.
Events from 2009 and possible events for 2010:
Men – 100m, 400m, 800m, Triple Jump, Javelin, 4 x 100m
Women – 100m, 400m, 1500m, Long Jump, High Jump, 4 x 100m
Additional non-scoring events 400m hurdles (both), 5km walk (both), long jump (men)
Questions regarding this competition can be directed to:
Nadine Fromont
National Teams Coordinator
teams@athletics.org.nz

AUSTRALIAN JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP ENTRIES
Athletics Australia will no longer be accepting New Zealand athlete entries into Australian Junior competitions in the 2009/2010 season. All entries for Australian Junior competitions in the 2009/2010 season will now be taken through Athletics New Zealand.

AWARDS
Valerie Vili was named Sportswoman of the Year and was awarded the overall Sporting Excellence Award at the Counties Manukau Sporting Excellence Awards on Thursday 10 December. Her coach Kirsten Hellier won the Coach of the Year Award. The Masters’ Award went to Ron Johnson of the Pakuranga Club.

HALBERG AWARDS
Valerie Vili has been named a finalist for the Halberg Sportswoman of the Year Award along with Sophie Pascoe (Swimming), Alison Shanks (Cycling), and Sarah Walker (BMX Cycling). Vili’s coach Kirsten Hellier is a finalist for the Coach of the Year along with Ricki Herbert (Football), Tim Carswell (Cycling) and Richard Tonks (Rowing). The winners and the Supreme Award winner will be announced at an Awards Dinner to be held in Auckland on Thursday 4 February.

OBITUARY
Leading sprinter from the 1940's dies
Ron Agate of Auckland, a national sprint champion in the late 1940’s, died on Thursday 24 December aged 88.
Agate, won five New Zealand titles, the 100 yards in 1945 and 1946 and the New Zealand 220 yards title three years in a row, 1945 in Wellington, 1946 in Wanganui and 1947 in Auckland.
He was also a member of the Auckland team that won the national medley relay three years in a row from 1945.
Agate was a member of the Auckland Club and won seven Auckland titles, the 100 yards 1944, 1945 and 1946 and the 220 yards title over four years from 1944. Agate also anchored his club to victory in both the Auckland 4 x 110 yards relay championship and the Auckland 4 x 220 yards championship in 1945 and 1949.
He later became an official as a timekeeper, an Auckland track and field selector and coach and was awarded an Athletics Auckland merit award in 1971. Agate was the founder and publisher of the Auckland Athlete later renamed New Zealand Athlete magazine during the 1960's.
He was coached by the 1937 New Zealand 440 yards champion and relay bronze medallist at the 1938 Sydney British Empire Games Alan Sayers, who at 94 spoke at Agate's funeral.
Agate is survived by his wife of 62 years Julie and daughter Dale and son Denis who won the New Zealand junior high jump title in 1968 and 1969.