Athletics New Zealand - Weekly Roundup

 

CHINA

Diamond League, Shanghai – 23 May 2010

Valerie Vili was beaten by her arch rival Nadzeya Ostapchuk of Belarus at the IAAF Diamond League meeting in Shanghai.

Ostapchuk was on fire from round one sending the shot out to 20.44m to improve on her 2005 meet record of 19.76m. Her second round was a further improvement to 20.70m, an outdoor world leading effort, replacing Vili’s 20.57m in February in Sydney.

Vili’s best effort came in round three with 19.72m.

Lijiao Gong of China was third with 19.60m.

 

HUNTLY

New Zealand Half Marathon Championship – 23 May 2010

Aaron Pulford became the youngest winner of the Huntly half marathon yesterday and in the process won his first New Zealand senior title.

The 30th anniversary of the event doubled as the national championship and the 18 year staved off a strong challenge from Jonny McKee to claim the gold medal in 1h 9m 21s for the 21.1km. McKee crossed the finish 17 seconds later with 19 year old Jonathan Jackson taking third in 1h 10m 31s.

Pulford said that from a slow start he worked his way into the race.

“It was pretty slow to start off with and I just ran relaxed. Jonny McKee put in a break about 12km and put about 80 metres on me. I just slowly did a lot of surging to catch him up,” said Pulford.

“I caught him at 16km and he then put in another surge. My instructions were to sit for once and not go for a time.

“The last 2km I cranked it up and held on to win, in my first half marathon,” he added.

Pulford said that the run was a fitness test for the world junior championships in Canada in July where he will contest the 10,000m.

“I had a bit of a break after the world cross country championships in March and been back in serious training for the past month.”

McKee who was also second in 2008, running a slightly faster 1h 9m 2s, said that he went from feeling good to feeling sick as the race progressed.

“I went for it at 10km and felt really good, but by the time we got to the coal mine area I started to feel quite sick. When Aaron caught me I tried to push on again and I thought I was going to get him,” said McKee.

“At 19km he went past me, and I started to feel sick again and I couldn’t get back on him again.”

McKee said that his preparation was lacking going into the race.

“So with better preparation maybe next year I’ll be back to win it,” he said.

Grant McLean travelled up from Wellington for his first Huntly race and was rewarded with being the first master to finish and a clear winner by nearly two minutes over his brother Craig of Hamilton in the 40-44 age group. Grant was pleased with his time of 1h 12m 23s for the challenging course.

“I checked out the course and realised it was a bit challenging and decided to hold back a bit and then put in a strong finish over the second half,” he said.

“It is my first masters distance title so I’m pretty happy to finally get one,” he added.

Maria Bentley from Palmerston North, who turned 30 last week, won the New Zealand women’s title in a close finish with Hamilton’s Helen Rountree in a personal best of 1h 17m 56s.

Bentley said it was tough course.

“From the start Helen and Sarah Biss were off, so I decided just to keep to my own race, keep conservative and don’t go out too fast, but the first 5km was still pretty fast and still pretty fast up to 10km,” said Bentley.

“I got in front of Sarah at the top of the hill at 10km and I could see Nyla Carroll, so I thought just slowly tap away, tap away and I got her at 15km. Then it was a matter of just holding it strong.

“I thought it was Nyla who was staying with me and I didn’t realise it was Helen chasing me at the finish.”

Bentley was third in the championship in Auckland last November and now looks forward to the Wellington half marathon in five weeks.

Rountree was just seven seconds slower than Bentley for the silver medal with five times Huntly winner Carroll taking third in 1h 19m 9s.

“I left my run a bit late,” said Rountree.

“But I had nothing left and I wasn’t going to fall over at the finish. I’m totally happy with second, just happy to have beaten Nyla Carroll, that’s excellent and I did a personal best by two minutes,” she added.

Matthew Holcroft won the half marathon walk in 2h 5m 1s with Donna Roderick the first woman in 2h 13m 59s.

Cory Whiting won the associated 10km road race in 32m 59s, with Erin Montgomery the first woman in 36m 56s.

 

KOREA

Colorful Daegu Pre-Championships Meeting, Daegu – 19 May 2010

Nikki Hamblin won the 1500m in 4m 15.21s on the eve of her 22nd birthday, at the Colorful Daegu meeting in Korea on Wednesday evening.

Hamblin just edged out Australian Kaila McKnight who recorded 4m 15.90s.

Esther Chemtai of Kenya was third in 4m 16.62s.

Hamblin was born in Dorchester UK and last year was granted New Zealand citizenship just prior to competing in the World Championships in Berlin where she reached the semi finals of the 1500m. Her personal best time over 1500m is 4m 8.52s set in The Netherlands on 27 June last year.

At the same meeting Usain Bolt was electric over 100m clocking 9.86s (+0.1).

Daegu is the venue of the World Championships next year.

 

 

UNITED STATES

Western Athletic Conference Champs, Ruston Louisiana – 15 May 2010: 

Te Rina Keenan 1st discus throw 53.76m (series 53.53m, 53.76m, F, F, 51.32m, 49.44m) 7th shot put 13.48m. Sarah Saddleton 2nd high jump 1.80m. Ashley Aitken 800m 7th Heat 2 2m 24.82s.

2010 Conference USA Champs, Orlando Florida – 15 May 2010: 

Katie Wright heats 800m 2m 12.62s Q, 1500m 4m 32.71s Q. Lauren Fayen 4th heat 2 800m 2m 10.63s, final 7th 2m 17.71s. 16 May 2010: Simon Bucknell 11th 5000m 14m 58.78s, Katie Wright 4th 800m 2m 10.69s, 1st 1500m 4m 21.01s, Melanie Cleland 3rd heat 1 1500m 4m 33.26s, 7th final 4m 31.88s, 13th 5000m 17m 25.66s. Ayla Gill 5th hammer throw 54.97m.

 

AUSTRALIA

Sydney Half Marathon – 16 May 2010

Melissa Norris finished 153rd out of 8733 in 1h 22m 42s. Norris was the 12th woman to finish and was 2nd in the 40-44 age group.

 

GERMANY

Heilbronner Trollinger Marathon – 16 May 2010

New Zealander Jon-Paul Hendriksen, formerly from Pakuranga, won the marathon in 2h 28m 53s.

 

FRANCE

IAU 24 Hour World Championship, Brive – 13-14 May 2010

New Zealand had two representatives at these championships, Matthew Bixley who recorded a total distance of 221.365km to place 48th out of a field of 151 men. This was a personal best by over 20km for Bixley. Valerie Muskett finished 20th out of 78 in the women’s race with a distance of 199.519km.

 

WELLINGTON

Vosseler Shield, Mt Victoria – 22 May 2010

Scottish won the senior men, senior women, Masters men 40, Masters women, women 16 and 19 and Boys 11 and 13 team races over a hilly cross country course over Mt Victoria.

James Coubrough took out individual honours in the men’s 10km in 38m 48s, with Evan Cooper second in 39m 50s and Hamish Carson third in 40m 2s. Mike Waterman was the first master in 44m 6s. Tina Harris won the women’s 5km in 22m 3s from Demelza Murrihy-Topp 22m 45s. Vickie Humphries was the first master in 23m 38s with Sally Anderson second in 23m 56s. Nicole Mitchell won the W19 3.2km in 12m 19s. Tim Stewart won the M19 5km in 20m 21s.

 

Both adidas Auckland Full and Half Marathon events reach capacity.

This year’s adidas Auckland Marathon full marathon has sold out just a few days after the half marathon field sold out. 

Managing Director, Stephen Brown, said, “We are delighted with the level of interest in the marathon distance this year making it easily New Zealand’s largest full marathon”.

Brown added, “This year’s marathon event is also host to the Athletics New Zealand National Marathon Championships and University Sport Marathon Championships. The total half and full marathon field size was increased from 9,000 to 10,000 entrants and yet both events have sold out one month earlier than last year and more than 5 months before the race day.”

Entries are still available in the quarter marathon, 5km run and walk and KIDSMARATHON events that feature as part of the adidas Auckland Marathon. 

The event takes place on Sunday 31 October 2010.