Athletics New Zealand - Weekly update | infonews.co.nz New Zealand News

INDIA. XIX COMMONWEALTH GAMES 2010 DELHI Athletics Competition – 6-12 October 2010     10 October 2010: Andrea Miller qualified for the final of the 100m hurdles after finishing third in heat one in a season's best of 13.35s (+1.1) Elizabeth Lamb was sixth equal in the high jump clearing 1.78m. Lamb was sixth equal with Jillian Drouin of Canada, Kay Humberstone of England and Stephanie Pywell of England.   Monique Williams qualified for the final of the 200m after finishing second in the second semi-finalin 23.63s (+0.2). The women’s 200m final has proved more dramatic than Williams was expecting - bizarrely it wasn't even held. When Williams, 25, finished second in her semi-final, she set about planning for the final two hours later. Now she must return to the track today to run a race she wanted done and dusted last night. A series of protests and counter protests threw the race into unresolvable turmoil, so instead of taking the blocks for her first Games final, a confused and annoyed Williams wound up packing her bag and going home. After the semi-finals, a protest was lodged that fastest qualifier Eleni Artymata of Cyprus had touched the line on the inside of her lane while running the curve. The race was held up while officials looked at video footage to see if that was the case. They decided that it was, and disqualified Artymata. With Artymata having 30 minutes to protest, and the race late on the evening's programme, the organisers opted to postpone the 200m final for a day. When she left the track, Williams was still in the dark. "It was all very confusing. I don't know what time I'm racing, or who I'm racing against," she said. Williams prides herself on her strength and fitness, so likes to back up 200m races two hours apart as she fares better in the second one. She is miffed that will now no longer be the case. "Now we are all going to turn up fresh, it's not fair, it's not right at all."   Matthew Lack was fourth in the Parasport T54 1500m in 3m 21.20s. Nikki Hamblin qualified for the final of the 800m after finishing third in heat 1 in 2m 2.82s.   9 October 2010: Valerie Adams came, saw and conquered the shot put at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium winningthe GOLD MEDAL in emphatic fashion smashing her Commonwealth record in the first round with a put of 20.47m. Adams was in great form with all of her six attempts over 20 metres (20.47m, 20.39m, 20.08m, 20.31m, 20.44m, 20.14m). Adams, who turned 26 on Wednesday, bettered her record of 19.66m set in winning at the Melbourne Commonwealth Games four years ago. Her outstanding performance was nearly a metre and a half ahead of her nearest rival Cleopatra Brown of Trinidad and Tobago who was second with 19.03m. Tasele Satupai of Samoa was third with a personal best of 16.43m. Adams said that her aim is to throw further each time she competes. "Every time you put the bib on in competition, it's a matter of doing what you have to do. "People just expect you to win, so to come out here and defend it with a very big throw, I'm bloody happy," she said. "I never take any competition for granted. Cleo had a great competition, it's just a matter of coming out here throwing a good throw, winning by a big margin and also breaking the Commonwealth Games record," she added. "I'm stoked with my consistency throughout the series. "I'm tired, it's the end of the season, but to break the Commonwealth record - I cannot ask for much more really." Adams said there was never any doubt that she would travel to Delhi to compete. "I wanted to be here to compete for New Zealand and do well for a little country and it's very important, the Commonwealth Games are very important to us." Adams New Zealand record is 21.07m achieved in winning the world athletics final in Greece last year.   Monique Williams easily qualified for round two in the women's 200m, winning heat five in 23.61s (+0.1). Williams holds the New Zealand national record of 22.90s set at the world championships in Berlin last year.    8 October: Brent Newdick started day two of the decathlon competition in fine style with a 14.79s (-0.4) clocking in the 110m hurdles to score 875 points taking him into second place with his overall totalof 4950. Newdick's personal best 110m hurdles is 14.38s (+0.2). Jamie Adjetey-Nelson of Canada who recorded 14.76s for 879 points leads with a total of 5117. Newdick maintained second place after the discus throw where he sent the implement out to 43.50m for 736 points. This took his total to 5686, 202 behind the leader Jamie Adjetey-Nelson who threw a distance of 45.21m for 771 points. Ben Hazell of England proved to best in the discus with a throw of 48.01m. Newdick has a personal best discus of 47.40m set in 2007. Newdick equalled his personal best in the pole vault clearing 4.80m for 849 taking his total to 6535, maintaining second place. Adjetey-Nelson was over at 4.70m improving his total to 6707. Warming up for the javelin Newdick tweaked his back but he still came through with a throw of 56.94m for 692 and a total of 7227. Adjetey-Nelson sent the javelin out to 61.32m for 758 and a total of 7465. Newdick completed the final event the 1500m in 4m 41.33s for 672 and a total of 7899 for the SILVER MEDAL. Adjetey-Nelson was slower over the 1500m in 4m 52.23s for 605 but held on for the Gold Medal with a total of 8070. Martin Brockman of England was third with 7712 points. A tired Newdick said that it had been a long two days. "It's been hot, it's been steamy, it's been everything really, there's moths everywhere, it's just been a hard long two days, but a great result at the end of it," said a relieved Newdick. He said that after the javelin it was just a matter of getting around the 1500m. "I was just tired, the back had been cramping the last couple of events. I tweaked it in the warm up for the javelin and felt something go. I just had to fight through it," he added. Newdick, fourth in the decathlon four years ago in Melbourne, said he tried his hardest to overhaul the Canadian during the course of the day. "I was pushing, pushing, pushing and trying for some big hits in a couple of events, but it didn't quite come off, silver it is today. "I tried my best out there, it wasn't quite enough for gold, but I'm stoked with silver."   Rebecca Wardell won the second division of the 100m hurdles, the opening event in the heptathlon competition. Wardell, who has a best of 14.01s (-0.7) set in 2006, recorded 14.18s (0.0) for 953 points. Grace Clements of England was second in Wardell's division in the same time. Jessica Zelinka of Canada won the faster division in 13.19s (-0.7) for 1096 points. Wardell is in fifth place after the first event. In the high jump Wardell was over the bar at 1.69m for 842 points for a running total of 1795 and sixth place. In the shot put Wardell produced a mighty 14.64m for 834 and a total of 2632, to regain fifth place. It was disaster for Wardell in the final event on day one of the competition, the 200m. She succumbed to an ankle injury sustained two weeks ago while competing in Cairns. As Wardell hit the bend in the 200m her ankle rolled and she had to be carried off the track on a stretcher.   Matthew Lack qualified for the final of the Parasport T54 wheelchair 1500m after finishing fourth in heat one in 3m 22.61s.   Nikki Hamblin continued New Zealand's fine tradition in middle distance running winning theSILVER MEDAL in the final of the 1500m. Hamblin was just outside her New Zealand national record of 4m 5.93s set in Belgium in July with a time of 4m 5.97s. Beijing Olympic Games 1500m gold medallist Nancy Jebet Lan'gat of Kenya won in 4m 5.26s. Stephanie Twell of Scotland was third in 4m 6.15s. Lan'gat led with 300m remaining passing the 1200m in 3m 19.74s. An exhausted Hamblin said it was a battle right to the end. "I'm just so so tired - with 100m left I looked at the screen and I saw them coming, I just held them off at the end," said Hamblin. Hamblin added that the training in Hong Kong with Paul Hamblyn as a training partner had paid off.   7 October: Brent Newdick was full of fire at the start of the decathlon competition, scorching down the track to record 11.07s (+0.6) in the 100m for 845 points. Newdick then excelled in the long jump equalling his personal best, set at the world championships in Berlin last year, soaring out to 7.42m (+1.1) for a massive score of 915 points. In the shot put Newdick was out to 13.98m for 727 points, he was over the high jump at 1.96m for 767 and ended day one with a gutsy 400m of 49.86s for 821 and a first day total of 4075. Newdick is in third place, Jamie Adjetey-Nelson of Canada, who had a shot put of 15.00m leads with 4238 and Martin Brockman of England who had a high jump of 2.14m is in second with 4114. When Newdick set his personal best score of 8091 points in the Czech Republic in June this year his first day total was 4037.   Nikki Hamblin comfortably qualified for the final of the 1500m easing into third place in the first heat in 4m 9.80s.   Interesting to note that a Palmerston North Club member Hardeep Kaur of India, who won the senior women's hammer event at the New Zealand championships in Christchurch in March with 57.10m, finished 10th in the hammer throw final at the Games with 59.96m.      6 October: Southland athlete Jessica Hamill started the athletic competition for New Zealand in fine stylewinning a SILVER MEDAL, in the Parasport F34 shot put. Hamill’s performance was 7.17m. Hamill said that she was nervous going into the event. “I think it helped me with the environment. It was really hot out there, but I managed to live up to my expectations,” she said.   Adrian Blincoe struggled in the Delhi heat finishing 11th in the 5000m final in 14m 3.07s. Moses Ndiema Kipsiro of Uganda won in 13m 31.25s. Blincoe said the six days he spent in Hong Kong preparing for the Games wasn’t enough to adjust to the heat of Delhi and he paid the price. “I just underestimated the affect of the heat, I didn’t get myself over to a hotter climate early enough and I paid the price out there,” he said. The New Zealand national 5000m record holder, at 13m 10.19s in Belgium in 2008, kept up with the winner Kipsiro and three Kenyans for nine of the 12.5 laps but with 1000m to go he “really hit the wall hard”. Link to results: http://results.cwgdelhi2010.org/en/Root.mvc/   USA Hartford Half Marathon, Connecticut – 9 October 2010 Kimberley Smith won the women’s section in 1h 11m 37s, finishing seventh overall. Heather Cappello was second woman in 1h 15m 3s.   Chicago Marathon – 10 October 2010 Fiona Docherty finished 11th in the Chicago Marathon in a personal best time of 2h 32m 17s. This carved over five minutes off her time of 2h 37m 55s recorded in the London Marathon in April. Docherty was through the half way in 1h 15m 49s. Liliya Shobukhova of Russia won in 2h 20m 25s. Shobukhova also won last year and was the winner of the London Marathon in April.   AUSTRALIA Melbourne Marathon 10 October 2010 Sarah Biss finished third in the women’s marathon in 2h 44m 51s. Melissa Norris was tenth in 2h 53m 20s. Race was won by Mulu Seboka of Ethiopia in 2h 32m 20s, taking more than a minute off the 1999 race record set by three-time Olympian Sue Hobson. Kenyan cattle farmer Japhet Kipkorir (29) was first over the line in 2h 11m 4s, clipping four seconds from the record set by American Bill Rogers in 1982. Nic Browne of New Zealand recorded 2h 28m 50s. Ady Ngawati of Whangarei was second in the women’s half marathon in 1h 18m 36s.   AUCKLAND Sri Chinmoy Ultra distance event, Sovereign Stadium North Shore – 2 October 2010 The Sri Chinmoy 24-Hour men’s race was won by New Zealand 100km representative Greg Hannah 41, of Dunedin in a fine (217.802 Km), from 2008 winner Alex McKenzie 49, in a personal best 206.530 km, followed by impressive rookie Wayne Botha 38, (204.698 km). Another New Zealand representative, Vivian Cheng 32, from Wellington (201.400 km), won the women’s 24-Hour, attaining 200 km for the first time, followed by Australian rookie Carol Lapsys, who celebrated her 33rd birthday with an outstanding 182.408 Km, and race-walker Carol Mestdagh 45, 162.800 km. HAMILTON Hamilton Half Marathon – 3 October 2010 Phil Murray won in 1h 12m 51s from Gavin Spiers 1h 14m 24s. Ruby Muir won the women’s section in 1h 25m 8s five seconds ahead of Erin Furness.   NEW PLYMOUTH New Plymouth Half Marathon – 3 October 2010 David Morton of Pakuranga won, by a wide margin, in 1h 14m 49s. Russell Lake was second in 1h 19m 26s. Morton, from New Plymouth and studying in Auckland, has been recuperating from an injury sustained on the track five months ago. Joe Casey holds the race record for the New Plymouth half at 1h 7m 53s set in 1984. Sally Gibbs (47) from Tauranga won the open women’s event in a pb 1h 24m 0s. Philippa Charlesworth was second in 1h 32m 22s. The late Brenda Ballinger set the women’s race record of 1h 17m 56s in 1991. Eric Kemsley won the half marathon walk in 1h 58m 45s. David Wackrow was second in 2h 10m 39s. The race record is 1h 39m 54s set by Glen Burrell in 2006. Vanessa Lowl won the women’s walk in 2h 12m 33s from Terri Grimmett 2h 18m 48s. The women’s walk race record is 2h 4m 0s set by Michelle Lei in 2006.   MASTERTON Masterton Marathon – 10 October 2010 Brian Garmonsway won in 2h 39m 1s. Rachael Udy won the women’s marathon in 3h 17m 23s. Stephen Day beat Rohan Biggs by eight seconds in the half marathon in 1h 12m 43s. Wendy Cottrell-Teahan won the women’s half in 1h 28m 22s. David Cushing won the half marathon walk in 2h 19m 1s.   WELLINGTON Waterfront 5km Series – 5 October 2010 Levente Timar won in 16m 44s. Gabrielle O’Rourke won the women’s section in 17m 39s. The walk was won by Tim Dutton in 28m 51s with Terri Grimmett making it 10 wins in a row in the women’s walk in 32m 0s.   Athletics, Newtown Park – 9 October 2010 Yarride Rosario won the M19 60m in 7.36s (-1.9) and the 300m in 36.95s. Ryan Roselli won the men’s 60m in 7.38s (-1.9) and the long jump with 7.12m (+2.1). Richard Thomson won the senior shot put with 14.39m, while Peter Baillie was the best of the walkers recording 5m 57.3s for 1200m.   OTAGO Athletics, Caledonian Stadium – 9 October 2010 Andrew Moore won the 100m in 10.68s (+6.8). Lauren Wilson W18 won her 100m in 12.28s (NWI) and 200m in 25.21s (+3.0). Daniel Balchin won the 3000m in 8m 55.78s from Bevan Stevens who ran 9m 8.80s. Marshall Hall won the discus throw with 51.84m, Kieran Fowler was second with 46.55m. Interestingly Chris Donaldson managed to throw 29.01m with the 2kg discus.   Hill Free Half Marathon, Outram – 10 October 2010 Oliver O’Sullivan won in 1h 15m 33s, from Kieran Cody 1h 16m 10s. Sarah Chisnall won the women’s half in 1h 27m 41s, from Jenna Weir 1h 34m 23s and Donna Young 1h 35m 20s. Alex Gorrie won the associated 10km in 33m 15s, from Will Smith 33m 30s and Tom Hunt 33m 39s. Rosie Robinson won the 10km walk in 53m 6s from Tom Cockerill who recorded 1h 9m 48s.