Athletics New Zealand update

LONDON UK
Aviva London Grand Prix and Diamond League, Crystal Palace – 13 August 2010
Olympic and world shot put champion Valerie Vili suffered her sixth straight loss to Belarussian Nadzeya Ostapchuk at the Diamond League meeting in London.
Ostapchuk had the shot out to 20.27m with Vili in second with 19.83m. Lijiao Gong of China was third with 19.26m.
At the world indoor championships in Qatar in March, Ostapchuk ended Vili’s two and half year winning streak.
She leads the Diamond League points table in the shot put with 20 points, six better than Vili in second.
Vili’s next competition in the League is in Zurich on Thursday.
Meanwhile at the London meeting, New Zealand’s 1500m and 5000m representative to the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi in October, Adrian Blincoe finished tenth in the 3000m in 7m 49.21s, just under three seconds outside his best. Bernard Lagat of US won in 7m 40.36s.
John Walker holds the New Zealand 3000m record of 7m 37.49s set in London in 1982.
Nikki Hamblin finished second in the women’s B 800m in 2m 00.96s, just outside her personal best of 2m 00.90s set in Belgium last year.

KESSEL, BELGIUM
Flanders Cup – 14 August 2010
Tim Prendergast was 9th in the 1500m in 3m 51.37s, Nathan Barrett 15th in the 3000m in 8m 59.50s and Anna Bramley 4th in the 800m in 2m 14.36s.

FALMOUTH, MASSACHUSETTS USA
Falmouth Mile – 14 August 2010
Nick Willis returned to the track, after a long lay up with injury, to finish second in the Falmouth mile yesterday in 3m 59.73s.
The Beijing Olympic Games 1500m silver medallist was out-stepped by Russell Brown of Eugene Oregon who narrowly won in 3m 59.61s.
It was Willis’ 15th sub-four minute mile and signalled a return five months after having surgery on a torn meniscus in his knee in March.
Willis now heads to Europe for a couple of races in Italy in his build up to defend his Commonwealth Games 1500m title in New Delhi in October.

Falmouth 7 Mile Road Race – 15 August 2010
Fiona Docherty was sixth in the women’s section in 38m 26s. Won by Wude Ayalew Yimer of Ethiopia in 35m 46s, from Kenyans Lineth Chepkurui 35m 50s and Edna Kiplagat 36m 31s. Gebre Gebremariam of Ethiopia won the race in 32m 20s, from Kenyans Wilson Kwambai Chebet 32m 21s and Martin Lel 32m 37s.

SINGAPORE
IOC World Youth Olympic Games – 17/23 August 2010
First up for New Zealand tomorrow at the Youth Olympics will be Anna-Lisa Uttley in round one of the 3000m. Mohamed Ali will also be in action tomorrow in round one of the boys 3000m and Joshua Hawkins will be in round one of the 110m hurdles.
On Wednesday Jenna Hansen will compete in round one of the 2000m steeplechase, Brad Mathas in round one of the 1000m, Jacko Gill in the qualifying rounds of the shot put and Yarride Rosario in round one of the 100m.
Thursday will see Julia Ratcliffe in the qualifying rounds of the hammer throw and Hazel Bowering-Scott in round one of the 200m.
On Saturday Rosario has the final of the 100m, and Hawkins the final of the 110m hurdles. On Sunday Uttley and Ali the finals of their 3000m, Bowering-Scott the final of the 200m, Mathas the final of the 1000m, Gill the final of the shot put and Matthew Holcroft in the 10,000m race walk. Hayden Hall will compete in the discus throw on either Saturday or Sunday.
Next Monday Hansen has the final of the 2000m steeplechase and Ratcliffe the final of the hammer throw.

ROSENDAL, NORWAY
Nuten Opp – 8 August 2010
Jonathan Wyatt won the 3.7km, 897m climb for the fourth year in a row. Wyatt won by 1m 19s in 35m 44s. His wife Antonella Confortola made it three years in a row in the women’s section winning by 1m 9s in 42m 42s.

LEON, NORWAY
Skaala Opp – 14 August 2010
8.2km rising 1848m
Jonathan Wyatt and his wife Antonella Confortola were the winners in the annual event in Stryn. In the straight uphill race Wyatt recorded 1h 8m 30s, over two minutes ahead of Kenyan John Sompol (1h 10m 41s) with David Schneider of Switzerland third in 1h 12m 50s.
Wyatt was second last year in 1h 10m and the winner in 2008 in 1h 8m 42s.
Confortola won the women’s race in 1h 23m 19s beating Norwegian skier Heidi Weng who recorded 1h 26m 59s.
A total of 1730 competed.

NORTHLAND
Northland Road Championships – 14 August 2010
Tim Goodwin won the senior men’s 10km title in 34m 41s, from Ian Calder 34m 45s. Ryan Slater won the M19 5km. Helen Smith won the senior woman’s 5km.
Imogen Hull (13) won the W19 5km.

AUCKLAND
Auckland Race Walkers Road Championships, Ngataringa Bay – 15 August 2010
Mike Parker won the 10km title in 50m 19s. Alana Barber won the woman’s title in 58m 30s from her mother Shirley 1h 9m 10s. Brooke Cowsill recorded 1h 0m 56s in the non-registered race. Phillip Wyatt won the M19 5km in 30m 33s, Maggie Bradley the W19 in 32m 22s, Paul Jackson the M16 in 30m 55s and Sarah-Amy Drummond the W16 in 33m 15s.

WELLINGTON
Bays Relays – 14 August 2010
Wellington Scottish won the senior men and senior women relays. In the men James Coubrough, Ryan Woolley, Stefan Smith, Terefe Ejigu and James List covered the 22.1km in 1h 7m 42s, to beat their B team by nearly five minutes with Wellington Harrier Athletic Club third. Stephanie Mackenzie, Natalie Gaskin, Tina Harris, Hayley Anderson and Melissa Moon combined to win in 1h 24m 34s, from Hutt Valley Harriers 1h 28m 47s and Olympic.
WHAC won the junior men and masters men 50 plus, Scottish won the masters men and masters women, with Olympic winning the junior women.

CHRISTCHURCH
Preliminary notice of the Colombo Street Mile
The Colombo Street Mile will be held on Sunday 5 December, in conjunction with the annual Christchurch Santa Parade. The Mile will be first on the programme so that there will be a clear road ahead at all times during the race.
For further information go to: http://nz.srichinmoyraces.org/colombo-street-mile

DUNEDIN
Otago Road Championships – 15 August 2010
Will Smith won the open 5km in 15m 52s from Jason Palmer 16m 3s. Megan Balchin was the first woman in 18m 5s. Rebekah Greene won the W19 5km in 17m 13s.
The W16 5km went to Anna Kean in 19m 1s and the M16 6km to Joseph Beamish in 21m 44s.