Valerie Vili out to make it ten years in a row in the shot put
Ten years at the top of one’s sport is a long time, but for Valerie Vili there is, no doubt, still many more years to go.
Vili will be going for her tenth straight New Zealand shot put title at the national championships in Christchurch on Saturday.
Last year Vili said that nine years was a good effort and added that it will be good to be in double digits next year.
The Olympic and World champion first won in 2001, in Hastings, as Valerie Adams with a put of 16.11m. Her best championship performance came in 2006, when the championships were last held in Christchurch, with 20.20m.
Tim Hawkes will be aiming for his fourth straight 800m title to add to his four straight 400m titles won from 2002 to 2005. Ironically Hawkes has finished second in each of the last three years beaten by an international runner, Aunese Curreen of Samoa in 2007 and 2008 and Australian Matthew Hammond last year.
This could well happen again with Macklin Chaffee from the States and Geoff Harris from Canada, who are entered, capable of heading in Hawkes.
Also in with a chance of a national podium placing in the 800m are 2007 1500m champion Richard Olsen, Tom Osborne and Malcolm Hicks.
Olympic 1500m silver medallist Nick Willis, who had entered in the 800m, has withdrawn.
Olsen along with Hicks and Hamish Carson should battle out the 1500m.
Beatrice Faumuina will be aiming to chalk up her 17th national discus title. Faumuina first title came in 1994, and she has missed only one championship since then, in 2001, when the title was won by Adrienne Lynn.
Philip Jensen was the national hammer throw champion way back in 1988, and he has since won a further 14 titles. Jensen is back in action yet again ready to make it title number 16. He is up against plenty of competition from Luke Greenfield, Tom Ingram, Damian Smuts and Ryan Tinkle.
Stuart Farquhar, who heads the Commonwealth rankings with his javelin throw of 85.35m at the Porritt Classic meeting in Hamilton last month, will going for his tenth javelin title.
Five times national 100m champion Chris Donaldson takes to the track again in the 100m. Defending the title is Carl Van der Speck. Also entered with fast times to their credit this season are James Dolphin, Craig Bearda, Clayton Mbofana, Ben Potter and Jeffrey Thumath. Thumath will go head to head with Dolphin in the defence of his 200m title.
National decathlon champion Brent Newdick will be aiming for five titles in the 110m hurdles, pole vault, long jump, triple jump and shot put. He is the defending champion in the pole vault, long jump and triple jump. Tom Walsh has moved up to the senior shot and has the best performance this season of the ten entered of 17.57m.
Although she has entered in the 100m, 200m and 400m defending champion in all three Monique Williams will not be attempting the treble this time. She will decide on the day which event she will compete in if at all.
Williams made it the treble treble last year winning the three events for the third year in a row.
“The treble treble was enough for me,” said Williams.
Williams said that the Achilles tendon injury that has plagued her this season is still troubling her.
“It is not 100 per cent cleared up, so I’m weighing up my options and whether to give it a chance to really heal.
“I may look at the relays, as it is better with a run up start, instead of coming out of blocks which aggravates it,” she added.
Williams is keen one way or another to start so that the public can still see her out there on the track.
Anna Smythe should win the women’s 100m from Andrea Koenen. Smythe won the 2005 200m title but is yet to win the 100m.
Koenen has foregone the chance to defend her women’s 19 sprint titles requesting to represent Auckland in the senior grade. Koenen should be rewarded with the national senior 200m title. Joanne Cuddihy from Ireland has entered in the 200m and the 400m. Louise Jones has every chance of winning the 400m title.
Nikki Hamblin will contest both the 800m and 1500m and now being a New Zealand citizen will be able to claim the titles if she wins. Last year Hamblin won both as an overseas athlete from Great Britain; the 800m title went to Erin Montgomery and the 1500m to Fiona Crombie. Hamblin has raced sparingly this summer. A slight hip problem that she had in January has recovered and she has trained well over the past two months. Crombie and Kellie Palmer will provide plenty of competition for Hamblin in the 1500m.
Sarah Cowley has the 100m hurdles to herself, being the only entry. Cowley has also entered the high and long jumps and shot put.
Elizabeth Lamb will be seeking to cement another Commonwealth Games standard of 1.85m in the high jump and Marissa Pritchard will be looking for a 13 metre plus performance in the triple jump. She will have competition from Nneka Okpala and Terani Faremiro of Tahiti who has entered with a season’s 13.73m.
Kate Newitt should win the walking double, the 3000m track walk and the 20,000m road walk. Tony Sargisson will be up against Quentin Rew in the 3000m and 20,000m walks.
The championships, which will be conducted on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, will almost be a final opportunity in the country this season for athletes to post Commonwealth Games performance standards and for the junior athletes to clinch a standard for the world junior championships in Canada in July.
Commonwealth Games New Delhi, India 3-14 October 2010
The following athletes have achieved the qualifying standard:
Men: Adrian Blincoe 1500m and 5000m, Stuart Farquhar javelin throw, Brent Newdick decathlon, Nick Willis 1500m.
Women: Beatrice Faumuina discus throw, Nikki Hamblin 800m and 1500m, Elizabeth Lamb high jump, Andrea Miller 100m hurdles, Kimberley Smith 5000m and 10,000m, Valerie Vili shot put, Rebecca Wardell heptathlon, Monique Williams 200m.
World Junior Championships, Moncton Canada, 19-25 July 2010
The following athletes have achieved the qualifying standard A or B:
Men: Glen Ballam 800m B, Michael Cochrane 400m hurdles Multiple B, Alex Jordan 400m Multiple B, Joseph Millar 200m B, Aaron Pulford 10,000m Qualified via criteria, Tom Walsh shot put A, Frazer Wickes 400m B.
Women: Rebekah Greene 1500m A, Elizabeth Lamb high jump A, Leesa Lealaisalanoa discus throw A, Laura Nagel 1500m 2xB 3000m A, Hannah Newbould 1500m A 3000m A, Keeley O’Hagan high jump A, Anna Roche 800m A, Angie Smit 800m A.
WORLD CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS
Andrew Davidson, Edwin Henshaw, Kim Hogarth and Shaun Krawitz will contest the senior men’s 12km at the world cross country championships in Bydgoszcz Poland on Sunday.
Rachael Kingsford is the sole New Zealand representative in the women’s 8km. Aaron Pulford will contest the junior men’s 8km while Olivia Burne, Nicki McFadzien and Danielle Trevis will race in the junior women’s 6km.