Athletics New Zealand Media Release - Weekly Roundup
NEW YORK
NEW BALANCE INDOOR GAMES
Adrian Blincoe finished fourth in the indoor mile at the Armory in New York on Saturday in 3m 58.53s. Andy Baddeley of Great Britain won in 3m 55.64s.
Blincoe said it was his season’s opener and his first track race in a year.
“It was good to get in the first race and get under four indoors after a bit of a racing lay off,” he said.
WELLINGTON
Capital Classic Meeting, including NZ 3000m Championship
Nick Willis had back to back victories in the 800m and the 3000m at the Capital Classic meeting at Newtown Park Stadium in Wellington on Friday evening.
The Olympic Games 1500m silver medallist eased through the 800m in 1m 52.69s, before lining up in the New Zealand 3000m championship.
Willis took off with 200m remaining and despite being hunted by Hamish Carson down the finishing straight was well in control winning his first national 3000m title in 8m 15.12s. Carson was second in 8m 15.72s with Aaron Pulford third.
Willis’ latest successes follow a satisfactory five weeks of training back in New Zealand. He leaves for the States and the Boston indoor games on 6 February and the Birmingham indoor games two weeks later. Willis will return to New Zealand in March for an international meeting in Christchurch followed by the New Zealand championships in Christchurch at the end of March.
Fiona Crombie retained her women’s 3000m title in 9m 31.90s.
Beatrice Faumuina was out over 60 metres with the discus for the first time since the New Zealand championships in Wellington last March. In far from favourable conditions the 1997 world champion and twice Commonwealth Games gold medallist threw 61.11m to take her to number two in the Commonwealth.
Faumuina said that she was fairly happy with the effort.
“It was just a relief to actually get through it because it was freezing out there. It was nice to consolidate what I’d done at Mt Smart Stadium but there is still a lot of work to be done,” said Faumuina.
“The event ran late and they were trying to hold it up because athletes were held up at airports. Our event was delayed and we only got two warm up throws – so everything was cut fairly short preparation wise,” she added.
Carl Van der Speck won the 100m in 10.60s while James Dolphin had the edge over Jeffrey Thumath in the 200m winning in 20.85s. Anna Smythe won the 100m in 11.73s with Andrea Koenen second in 12.02s. Koenen won the 200m in 23.98s.
WAITAKERE
Interprovincial Competition 14, 15, 16 and 17 and Open Events.
Beatrice Faumuina was back in action on her home ground at Douglas Track on Saturday maintaining her commitment to better the Commonwealth Games performance standard of 56m in each competition this season.
Competing, at the interprovincial meeting for junior athletes, in the open discus Faumuina was twice out to 59.99m.
Also in the open section Damian Smuts won the senior shot put with 15.26m, Nigel Park a former national long and triple jump champion was out to 7.11m in the long jump and Portia Bing recorded 15.10s in the 100m hurdles and cleared 5.41m in the long jump.
Highlights in the interprovincial meeting came from Joshua Hawkins in the boys 15 200m in 23.14s and 100m hurdles in 14.16s. Ben Paltridge won the B17 100m in 11.81s, the 200m in 23.36s and the long jump with 6.23m. Harry Wilde clocked a fast 51.99s in the B15 400m. Merewarihi Vaka easily won the G14 100m in 13.10s and in the field dominated the shot put with 13.99m and the discus with 47.86m. Solomone Vaka produced two solid performances in the B16 throwing with 16.72m in the shot and 53.30m in the discus. Ross Walker-Smart followed up in the B16 javelin with a throw of 40.02m and a clearance of 1.93m in the high jump.
TAURANGA
Katherine Camp W19 won the 100m in 12.80s and the 400m in 55.90s. Michael Banks clocked 9m 24.1s in the 3000m while Kelly Mabbett won the 3000m walk in 16m 50.8s.
NELSON
Richmond athletes Ben Anderson and Bailey Cotton both won three events in their grade at the South Island Colgate Games last weekend in Timaru. Ben Anderson B11 400m 62.36s, 800m 2m 28.19s and 1500m 4m 58.00s; Bailey Cotton B10 100m 14.22s, 800m 2m 37.14s, and shot put 8.77m.
CHRISTCHURCH
Highlights from meeting on 16 January 2010
Nicki McFadzien bettered the performance guideline of 17 minutes for consideration for the world junior cross country championships, running 16m 54.19s for 5000m.
Angela Smit won the 1500m in 4m 29.31s, from Rebekah Greene 4m 29.38s, Alicia Evans 4m 33.25s and Olivia Burne 4m 33.98s.
Margot Gibson won the 3000m in 10m 27.37s. Todd Mansfield won the sprint double, 100m in 10.90s (+2.2) and 200m in 21.90s (+0.8).
Andrea Vigers was out to 39.40m in the discus and 42.64m with the hammer.
Glen Ballam won the 400m in 49.49s.
REBECCA WARDELL ACHIEVES COMMONWEALTH GAMES PERFORMANCE STANDARD IN THE HEPTATHLON
Rebecca Wardell eclipsed the performance standard for the Commonwealth Games of 5800 points with her score of 5988 in Christchurch on Saturday and Sunday.
Wardell’s scoring was: 100m hurdles 13.90s (+3.1) 993 points, high jump 1.60m 736, shot put 14.27m 812, 200m 24.36s (+1.3) 946, long jump 5.86m (+0.7) 807, javelin throw 46.84m 799, 800m 2m 14.87s 895 total 5988.
It is Wardell’s best score in New Zealand and only one point less than she scored at the Beijing Olympics Games.
“When I woke on Saturday morning it was pouring with rain and about 12 degrees so was a little worried, but a southerly wind worked to my advantage as it blows at your back at QE2, way better than in your face with a nor-west,” said a delighted Wardell.
“I started well with a PB in the hurdles 13.90. High jump was next, well below my best of 1.71m at 1.60m but solid enough. Then shot put was out to 14.27m which is close to my best of 14.51. Day two finished awesomely with a 24.36sec 200m, my second best ever in a heptathlon.
“Day two started well with a 5.86 long jump, just 10cm off my best. Then a solid 46.8m javelin left me with only needing to run 2min 27ish in the 800 to get the 5800 standard. I ended up running 2min 14sec but if only it had been slightly faster as I finished agonizingly close (12 points) to that magic 6000 point mark, as I did in Beijing, aghhh frustrating,” she added.
Fiona Morrison was second with 4648 points and Nicole Mesman (U16) third with 4215.
Wardell is now looking forward to the Nationals in three weeks in Hamilton, where her aim is to get over the 6000 point mark and up to her best of 6108, and then onwards and upwards to Delhi in October and a New Zealand record.
The score of 5988 would have ranked Wardell fourth in the Commonwealth in 2009.
At the Centre meeting Kellie Palmer won the 3000m in 9m 46.76s, Tim Jones the 100m in 10.94s and the 200m in 21.86s (+3.2), Tom Walsh had the 6kg shot out to 17.49m (the standard for a New Zealand M18 record is 18m), Lucinda Shaw (16) covered the 3km walk in 15m 59.99s and Nicola Hely won the 200m in 24.94s.
DUNEDIN
Callan Moody won the Otago 5000m championship in 14m 58.31s, from Daniel Balchin 14m 58.37s and Tony Payne 15m 26.85s. Shireen Crumpton won the women’s title in 17m 40.43s, from Kirsty Morris 17m 47.63s. Rebekah Greene (16) ran 800m in 2m 10.01s. The standard for a New Zealand W16 800m record is 2m 8s.
Jerram Huston won the shot put with 14.50m. Toby Flett (17) won the 100m in 11.36s (+1.3) and the 300m in 34.29s. Lauren Wilson (17) won the 300m in 38.04s.
US COLLEGE ROUNDUP
Hokie Invitational at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va. Rochelle Sceats running for George Mason University (Virginia) ran 9:47.55.in the 3000m to take 3rd place.
Mountain West- Big 12 Challenge, hosted by the University of Nebraska Daniel Wallis won the men's 5,000-meter run, with a time of 14:34.56.
Arkansas Invitational Ayla Gill competing for Southern Methodist University (Texas) won the Women Weight Throw with a distance of 18.37m
In New York at the Great Dane Classic Hugo Beamish running for Villanova won the 3000m in a time of 8:16.97 while at the same meet Carl Mackenzie won the 1000 m in 2:26.23
Simmons-Harvey Invitational, Ann Arbor Michigan, Terefe Ejigu and Dallas Bowden raced over 3k with Terefe, running for Eastern Michigan, finishing 3rd in 8:21.48 and Dallas running for the University of Michigan coming 5th in 8:25.14
Niswonger Invitational Lauren Fayen running for the University of Alabama won the 800 m in a time of 2:16.20
At West Lafayette, Indiana Caden Shields won the 3000 Meter in 8:22.69, Alice Feslier-Holmes taking 5th in the 600 meter in 1:40.10 and Simon Rogers 4th in the men’s 800 in 1:57.00
At the Razorback Invitational in Fayetteville, Ark. Melanie Cleland had a victory in the 3000m in 10:00.15 while in the men’s 3000m Eddie Henshaw competing unattached finished 9th in 8:17.88.
WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIPS – SELECTION POLICY
The Selection Policy for the World Junior Championships in Moncton, CAN has been released.
The aim for athletes is to achieve a minimum of a top 16 finish. The guideline standards reflect this goal and the standing of the meeting as a pinnacle event on the junior athletic Calendar.
Team Leader, Terry Lomax, said “The standards are tough but reflect the reality of the ‘World Juniors’. We have outstanding junior talent, which should be looking beyond mere selection and achieving the minimum. They should see this meeting as a dress rehearsal for what they wish to achieve as senior athletes at Olympic Games and World Championships.
I am confident that we will have a strong team selected who will be at the forefront of our performers into the future”.
THE OCEANIA U18 AREA CHAMPIONSHIPS
(held in conjunction with the Australian Junior Championships)
Sydney Olympic park, Sydney
March 11-14 2010
The 2010 Oceania U18 Area Championships is the qualifier for IOC Youth Olympic games to be held in Singapore, August 14-26, 2010. All athletes who wish to be eligible for selection into the IOC Youth Olympic games team must attend the Oceania U18 Area Championships.
Athletes who wish to be considered for selection into the Oceania U18 Area Champs are expected to submit an online EOI by Monday 25th January 2010. Selection of a team for these championships will be made by 29th January 2010.
The discretionary policy for the Oceania U18 Area Championships and link to EOI can be found on the Athletics New Zealand performance website: http://www.performance.
The selection policy for the IOC Youth Olympic Games will be posted on the Athletics New Zealand performance website when it is released www.performance.athletics.org.
PREVIEW COOKS CLASSIC
Wanganui Tuesday 26 January The fastest was by Nick Willis with 3m 52.75s in 2006 and the last sub-four was by Gareth Hyett in March 2007. Beatrice Faumuina will continue her dream run with the discus this season and be looking for another 60 metre plus throw. Other field event highlights will come from high jumpers Elizabeth Lamb and Billy Crayford, triple jumpers Nneka Okpala and Daniel Fake, Leanne Wellwood in the pole vault and Sarah Cowley who has entered in the shot put and long jump as well as the 100m hurdles. Michael Cochrane will be chasing another fast time in the M19 110m hurdles, while Jacinda Swain heads the entrants in the women’s mile and Rochelle Coster the women’s 100m.
Hamish Carson will be aiming for a sub-four minute mile in the traditional event at Cooks Gardens on Tuesday evening.
Since Peter Snell’s historic world record in Wanganui on 27 January 1962, the magical barrier has been broken 50 times.
Carson will be up against American runner Carey Chaffee who is on an extended New Zealand visit, Aaron Pulford, Glen Ballam and Alex Wallace.
The 100m has drawn a good field of Jeffrey Thumath, Issac Tatoa, Joseph Millar, Todd Mansfield and Alex Jordan. Matthew Robinson and Scott Burch will go head to head in the 400m.