Athletics New Zealand update

AUCKLAND
Portia Bing of North Harbour set a New Zealand W16 heptathlon record of 4947 points in winning the Northern Regional championship over the weekend.
Bing was away to a great start clocking 14.62s over 100 hurdles followed by a 1.69m high jump and a 200m in 25.38s. Her best performance on the second day came in the final event the 800m where she recorded 2m 28.56s, achieving sufficient points to better the standard of 4800 points set for a national record.
“I just focussed on each event as it came and each point. In the 800m the aim was to hit the first 400m in 71 seconds and then concentrating on making it home,” said Bing.
Her performances were: 100m hurdles 14.62s (+1.0) 892, high jump 1.69m 842, shot put 8.58m 437, 200m 25.38s (+2.2) 852, long jump 5.34m (Nil) 654, javelin 34.32m 559, 800m 2m 28.56s 711, total 4947 points. Paige Harwood was second with 4069 and Rebecca Wilson third 3425.
Sarah Cowley competed the first day only of the senior women’s heptathlon scoring 100m hurdles 14.02s (+0.1) 976, high jump 1.72m 879, shot put 12.15m 671, 200m 25.56s (+2.2) 836 total 3362.
Cowley said after plenty of competition in individual events this season she wanted to get her mind around doing a heptathlon again.
“It would be nice to carry on – but unfortunately I wasn’t good enough just to keep going.
“The nationals in Hamilton, that’s been the goal the whole way and I think just now, just to get fresh and ready for a big assault in Hamilton. That’s the plan – looking forward to going head to head with Becks,” said Cowley.
Stephen Buckley came within 20 points of his personal best in winning the senior men’s decathlon regional title. He scored a total of 7054 points, setting him up for a bold showing in the New Zealand championship in Hamilton in two weeks time.
Buckley’s performances were: 100m 11.37s (-1.2) 780 points, long jump 6.78m (+2.9) 762, shot put 13.49m 697, high jump 1.82m 644, 400m 49.89s 820, 110m hurdles 16.65s (-1.2) 661, discus 41.04m 686, pole vault 4.40m 731, javelin 49.46m 581, 1500m 4m 38.19s 692 total 7054 points.
National champion Brent Newdick completed the first four events and then retired from the competition. 100m 11.25s (-1.2), long jump 7.10m (-0.2), shot put 13.36m, high jump 1.85m.
“I agreed to start and give Stephen some competition,” said Newdick.
“Everything today shows I’m in good form, training heavy at the moment and I’m ready to do well and what I need for a Commonwealth qualifier in Hamilton in two weeks time,” he added.
Phil Simms of Te Awamutu won the M16 Octathlon title with a total of 5224 points. Simms performances were: 100m 11.48s (-0.7) 757 points, long jump 6.42m (+1.9) 679, shot put 11.42m 571, 400m 52.68s 695, 110m hurdles 15.30s (-0.8) 814, high jump 1.81m 636, javelin 35.99m 384, 1000m 2m 57.57s 688, total 5224 points. Luke Davison of Tauranga was second with 4695 and Ross Walker-Smart third 4570.
James Hand dug deep in the final straight to win the M19 800m in a personal best 1m 54.55s. National junior champion Michael Whitehead was second in 1m 55.38s, coming on top of a fourth in the 1000m the previous evening in Hastings. Scott McLaren won the javelin throw with 60.02m and the shot put 13.22m.

The Interprovincial competition the previous week resulted in a win for North Harbour with 1971 points, beating Auckland 1957 and Counties Manukau 1901.

WELLINGTON
Shaun Krawitz, based in Victoria Australia, won the world cross country championships trial at Trentham Memorial Park on Saturday.
Krawitz ran the 12km in 39m 54s, Kim Hogarth was second in 40m 18s with triathlete Kris Gemmell third in 40m 24s. Andrew Davidson was fourth in 40m 44s and Stefan Smith fifth in 40m 47s.
Krawitz said that he had been aiming for the trial since his eighth placing, seventh New Zealander, in the New Zealand cross country championships in Christchurch last August.
“I’ve been training for this since the national cross country last year where I had a pretty average run. I’ve just been trying to really focus on this.
“I had a fantastic month of training up at Falls Creek in Victoria and coming off that I’m starting to feel pretty decent. It all sort of worked out today,” said Krawitz in an interview with NZRun.com.
Krawitz next race will be over 5000m at the Briggs Classic in Hobart Tasmania on 12 February where he hopes to break 14 minutes.
Daniel Trevis won the junior women’s 6km trial in 22m 2s, 43 seconds ahead of Olivia Burne with Nicki McFadzien third in 23m 4s. Kate McIlroy beat Rachel Kingsford and Fiona Crombie to win the women’s 8km trial. McIlroy recorded 29m 48s, Kingsford 30m 18s, Crombie 31m 43s, Kellie Palmer was fourth in 32m 29s and Tina Harris fifth in 32m 44s.
Simon Gannaway won the M19 8km in 28m 40s beating Tom Davison by 17 seconds.
The world championships will be held in Poland in March.

At Newtown Park Stadium on Saturday Tim Jones won the 100m in 10.70s (+0.6) and the 400m in 48.61s. Daniel Clendon won the 3000m in 9m 18.36s. Scott Thomson was out to 13.26m (+0.3) in the triple jump while Richard Thomson recorded 14.46m in the senior shot. Leesa Lealaisalanoa won the W16 discus with a throw of 46.15m.

CHRISTCHURCH
Rebecca Hodgson set a Canterbury W16 hammer record with a throw of 46.24m. Rebecca Wardell won the 100m in 12.24s (+0.8) and the high jump 1.55m.
Abigail Watson W19 400m in 57.94s. Fiona Morrison 100m hurdles in 14.79s (-0.4). Sarah O’Connell pole vault in 3.10m. Annabelle Coates long jump in 5.44m (-0.1) and triple with 11.05m (+0.1). Tim McKee M19 pole vault in 4.10m. Hayden Hall M16 shot put with 13.70m and Javelin out to 43.70m. Malcolm Hicks won the 1500m in 3m 52.20s beating Brett Tingay 3m 55.19s.

DUNEDIN
Roseanne Robinson recorded 14m 36.54s for the W19 3000m track walk. Daniel Balchin won the M19 3000m steeplechase in 9m 27.20s.

CANBERRA
Stuart Farquhar lifted his Commonwealth ranking to number two in the javelin throw after winning the javelin in Canberra on Saturday.
Competing at the Australia Cup meeting Farquhar was out to 81.11m.
John Oosthuizen of South Africa leads the rankings with 81.18m.
New Zealand 100m champion Carl Van der Speck finished second in the 100m in 10.74s. James Dolphin was sixth in the 400m in 47.50s.
Van der Speck teamed up with Craig Bearda, Jeffrey Thumath and Dolphin to win the 4 x 100m relay in 40.04s.
Results:
100m A: Carl Van der Speck 2nd 10.74s (-1.8); B: Craig Bearda 4th 10.73s (-0.8); C: Jeffrey Thumath 4th 11.05s (-1.8).
400m: James Dolphin 6th 47.50s.
800m: Richard Olsen 6th 1m 52.28s.
400m hurdles: Daniel O’Shea 5th 54.00s, Nick Kalivati 7th 56.22s
Javelin: Stuart Farquhar 1st 81.11m.
Long jump: Ryan Roselli 6th 7.30m (+1.1), Jeffrey Thumath 7.14m (+1.8).
4 x 100m relay: New Zealand (Carl Van der Speck, Craig Bearda, Jeffrey Thumath, James Dolphin) 1st 40.04s.

US INDOOR
At Boston, Mass. Holly Van Dalen running for Stony Brook University posted an NCAA provisional time coming 5th in the 3,000m with a time of 9m 28.60s.
The NYRR Saturday Night at The Armory running for Villanova Mathew Mildenhall was 5th over 1 mile in 4m 09.69s and Hugo Beamish was 9th in 4m 10.88s.
In the Lexington, Ky 1 mile, Dallas Bowden was 5th in 4m 08.83s and Brendon Blacklaws 11th in 4m 12.06s.
While at the Lobo Challenge held at the University of New Mexico Te Rina Keenan competing for the University of Hawaii - Manoa, came 10th in the shot put with a distance of 11.24m.
Michael Christmas running for University of Maryland finished 10th in the men’s 1-mile run in 4m 17.48s at Penn State.
At Wisconsin Elite Invitational Simon Rogers running for Purdue placed 8th in the 1 mile with a time of 4m 20.43s, while Alice Feslier-Holmes Purdue came 6th in the 800m with a time of 2m 20.64s.
At the Boston University Terrier Invitational meeting Holly Van Dalen was 5th in the 3000m in 9m 28.62s, Julian Matthews was 2nd in the 1000m in 2m 26.35s and Tom Osborne 8th in the mile in 4m 8.30s.

GUNTER MIELKE DIES
German marathon runner Gunter Mielke, a regular visitor to New Zealand, died on 18 January after collapsing while running along Orewa Beach, north of Auckland.
Mielke, aged 67, was West German marathon champion in 1975 and 1977 and was second in his national 10,000m championship in 1971, 72 and 74. He competed in the 1972 Munich Olympic Games 10,000m failing to finish and he also represented his country at the 1976 Los Angeles Olympic Games where he finished 54th in the marathon. He had a best 10,000m time of 28m 44.6s in 1972 and a marathon time of 2h 13m 58s in 1981.
Mielke ran in the 1978 Choysa Auckland marathon finishing sixth in 2h 19m 1s. He also competed in the 1980 Choysa Auckland marathon finishing 11th in 2h 21m 9s.