Athletics New Zealand – News – National Championships and Weekly Roundup

AUCKLAND – New Zealand Track and Field Championships in association with Massey University, Mt Smart Stadium – 22/24 March 2013
Olympic and world shot put champion Valerie Adams was in consistent form in winning her twelfth national title in the shot put, reaching out to a best of 20.37m.

She was particularly pleased that all six of her throws were over 20.18m.
“I’m pleased with the consistency, best consistency this season with all throws over 20 metres. After Sydney I’m happy with that,” she said.
Adams went close to the New Zealand resident and all comers record of 20.54m.
“Obviously I wanted to break the New Zealand record today, but all things considered with the way my body is at the moment I’m pretty happy and stoked. I’m sure JP will be very pleased and happy that we’ve been able to pull out every throw over 20 metres.

“There is nobody to push me and that’s always hard but the crowd was great and the weather has been awesome and my family is here which is awesome,” said Adams.
Her coach Jean-Pierre Egger returned to Switzerland two weeks ago.
“I didn’t know what to expect today after two weeks of training here.”
Adams leaves for her Swiss base in two weeks and will compete in the first of the IAAF Diamond League meets in Eugene, Oregon in June.
Te Rina Keenan who was second to Adams with 15.42m, said that it was great to compete alongside Adams.
“It was awesome, it is always good fun when Val’s there, you always feel like you’ve got something to aim for when she’s around,” said Keenan.

World junior and youth shot put champion Jacko Gill was not too happy with his winning performance of 20.53m to retain his national junior title with the 6kg shot.
He was well short of his New Zealand record of 22.31m.
“I’m not really happy with it, but it is a starting point that I can improve on. I was hoping for 21 metres. I decided to train throughout the nationals and sort of work out my weights and such and target meets at the end of the year,” said Gill.
Gill said that he has recovered from the ankle injury, but has since had a bit of a problem with his fingers.
“I’ve been doing the 6kg shot because I don’t want to hurt the fingers. I broke the plate in the knuckle of the middle finger so I decided to ease back from the 7.26kg shot and do the six,” he said.
He now heads to Europe for a stint of training and competition. Gill is aiming to qualify for the World Championships in Moscow later in the year.

Joseph Millar became the third fastest New Zealander all time in winning the senior 100m in 10.32s. The Tauranga 20 year old, now being coached by former New Zealand representative Kerry Hill, improved on his best, set in winning the title in 2012 in 10.36s.
Millar said that he had hoped to have dipped under 10.30s.
“I’m looking to do it when I head over to Australia where I hope to retain my 200m title in the Aussie champs and to also pick up the 100m after finishing third last year.
“The next mark to break in the 100m is 10.27s set by Chris Donaldson, so over the next three weeks that will be my new target to beat,” said Millar.
On the final day of the championships Millar was equally impressive winning the 200m in 21.38s.

Another Waikato Bay of Plenty sprinter shone through in the women’s 100m, with Mariah Ririnui winning her first senior title in 11.84s, a big improvement on her previous legal best of 12.22s.
Ririnui was in almost disbelief on crossing the finishing line first.
“I can’t even believe it right now, I’m so happy though I’ve put in the hard yards and everything just clicked today so I’m really happy,” she said.
“I was aiming for a PB around 11.8s and I knew the only way I was going to beat the others, who were in really good shape, was by getting a good start, so I made sure I was wide awake and snappy. I had a really good start and held on and I’m just happy to have a win in my first year senior and my first senior title,” she added.
 
It is not often an athlete wins their first national title after having represented New Zealand at an Olympic Games. But Lucy Van Dalen was all class in winning the 1500m in 4m 16.80s. Van Dalen led for most of the journey, beating Camille Buscomb by four seconds.
“It’s been about six years since I’ve been here so it is good to be here and have the home crowd to support me and I’m stoked to have a title finally,” said Van Dalen.
“I’m still in a base training stage so I’m pleased with the run. I’m running on strength work right now so it’s good. For this stage of the season it’s fine. I’ll try and get that ten more seconds down soon and hopefully qualify for the worlds,” she added.

 
After an up and down season Hamish Carson produced the finish when it counted outgunning Hayden McLaren over the closing stages to win his third 1500m title in 3m 46.26s.
Carson said that he did not know how the race would go as he is waiting on some hospital tests.
“I didn’t know how it would pan out today. But luckily the body felt good and I just did what my coach Arch Jelley said and hung in there until as late as possible and then kicked home,” said Carson.
“I’m really happy to take my third national 1500m title and to get the half marathon and 1500m titles in the same year,” he added.
“I now need to get a few more races in and push for some times. I was planning to go over to America, but I’m still waiting on some hospital tests so I might see if I can get into some in Europe,” said Carson.

Monique Williams a past triple winner at national championships concentrated on just the one event this time to full effect to win her fourth 400m title in 54.40s.
Williams now based in England is only just back into racing.
“I competed in Sydney which was a long time since I had raced so it was to blow the cobwebs out. I chose the 400m because all my training at the moment is sort of in November phase, I’ve only done strength work and no speed work.
“So I treated this like a training weekend with three 400m races in three days. I’m glad I had a heat because if I had gone straight into a final I would have been a bit out of practice. You do more thinking time in the 400m compared to the 100m and 200m, so the whole way around the track I was like am I doing this right,” said Williams.
She will compete in the Australian championships before returning to England.

 
Philip Jensen at the age of 45 won his 19th national hammer throw title, 25 years since his first in 1988. Jensen had to work hard to hold out first year senior Ryan Tinkle who lead the competition after round two with 59.80m. Jensen then hoisted the hammer out to 60.73m in round five and he finished with a 60.10m throw.
“I’m pretty excited, to be honest I haven’t had a particularly good season, it’s been pretty hard and I often wondered why I am doing this at my age. But I’m delighted to have got the reward today it’s kind of one of the things you get with sport,” said Jensen.
“I wasn’t going to give it up easily, if they want to take it they’ll have to prise it out of my hands. I think I said last year that they will have to work for it, it’s a national title and they shouldn’t get it easily,” he added.

Jacob Priddey came into the championships to gain a couple of gold medals and a couple of PBs. The promising 16 year old almost achieved his goal winning the under 18 3000m in a career best 8m 30.42s and he also won the 1500m in 3m 58.82s, just outside his best of 3m 57.46s.
“I did come to try and get a couple of PBs I had a tiny PB in the 3000m and just missed out in the 1500m,” he said.
If he had had competition in the 1500m he would have been drawn out to a faster time. The field just allowed Priddey to lead throughout.
“I knew everyone was just going to sit on me so my father (his coach Vaughan Priddey) worked out what times I needed to run for each lap and I just tried to do that basically,” he said.
Priddey’s next major competition is at the North Island secondary schools championships in Masterton 6/7 April.

Malcolm Hicks and Hugo Beamish provided an interesting two way battle in the 5000m. Hicks forced the pace throughout until the final 250m when Beamish set sail with a withering sprint to carry him to the gold medal in 14m 1.09s. Hicks was second in 14m 4.16s and Aaron Pulford third in 14m 13.48s.
Beamish has returned to New Zealand after completing an American athletic scholarship at Villanova. It is his first national senior title.
“The game plan coming into the race was just do as little as I could and then hopefully wind it up at the finish and make them hurt,” said Beamish.
He is now based in Wellington doing civil engineering for a company. Adrian Blincoe coached him at Villanova and is continuing to coach him in New Zealand.

Mike Parker set a unique record in winning the senior 3000m track walk in 13m 28.64s. It is 37 years since he won the senior 50km road walk in 1976.
Parker said it was good to make a little bit of history.
Tom Walsh taking out the discus, the first of his two titles.
“I thought I could win if I used my head and walked at a sensible pace and that’s exactly what I did, I held back for five laps and then went as hard as I could over the last two and a half laps. I don’t think any other athlete has ever had a span like that,” said Parker.
“I just take it in little stages and try and stay away from injuries and keep myself motivated,” he added.

Tom Walsh won the senior shot put discus throw double, an achievement last done by Pat Hellier in 2008 and 2007.
He won the senior shot put twice after it was discovered one of the implements used was the incorrect weight and the competition had to be re-run. Walsh's best throw of 19.42 metres in the second competition was over one metre better than the previous best winning performance in the event. His discus was a PB 50.27m.

Stuart Farquhar made it title number 13 in the javelin with a throw of 80.17m. Ben Langton-Burnell was out to a PB 71.72m for the silver medal.

The Wyatt brothers won the senior horizontal jumps at the championships, Matthew in the long jump with 7.53m and Phillip the triple jump with 15.06m.

National records set at the championships were Joshua Hawkins under 20 110m hurdles 13.80s, James Sandilands under 17 110m hurdles 13.88s, Kodi Harman under 19 100m 10.42s, and the Auckland team of Megan Kikuchi, Tori Kolose, Celine Pearn and Lucy Jacobs under 17 4 x 400m relay 3m 52.65s.

USA
Tulsa Duels Tulsa 15/16 March 2013
Katherine Camp 200m 25.95s, Josie Wilcox 3000m 10m 16.89s.
49er Classic Charlotte 15 March 2013
Brooke Cull 200m 26.44s (+0.7), 400m 59.38s.
Baylor Quad Inv, Waco 22 March 2013
Matthew Russ 800m 1m 53.57s, Christina Taylor 1500m 4m 42.98s.
Ivy League, Orlando Florida 22 March 2013
Julia Ratcliffe representing Princeton set an Ivy League record of 63.99m in winning the hammer throw by 10cm. All five of her throws were over 61 metres.
Her series was 62.01m, 61.58m, 63.99m, 62.68m, F, 61.95m. Ratcliffe’s New Zealand national record is 67.00m.

ROAD RACES AROUND THE COUNTRY

Auckland
Coatesville Classic Half Marathon, 17 March: Nick Johnston 1h 15m 56s, Joshua Rawlinson 1h 16m 11s, Sasha Daniels 1h 18m 10s. Maria Bentley 1h 25m 50s, Katherine Prumm 1h 26m 12s, Melissa Norris 1h 28m 43s.
Pakuranga 5km, 18 March: Flynn Palmer 18m 25s, Kevin Palmer 18m 53s. Sarah Blyde 20m 48s.
O’Hagan’s Viaduct 5km, 19 March: Jon Healey 16m 26s, Brad Luiten 16m 50s, Chris Wharam 17m 8s. Claire Macky 18m 46s.
Rat Race 5km, Takapuna, 20 March: Peter May 17m 8s, Gene Rand 17m 30s, James McArthur 18m 22s. Denwyn Hanvey 20m 25s.

Hamilton
Eastside Riverpath 5km, 19 March: John Crane 17m 7s, Kent Hodgson 17m 10s, David Lee 17m 53s. Maddie Brunton 19m 25s.

Tauranga
Smiths Sports Shoes Everyone’s 5km, 21 March: Ben Ruthe 17m 10s, Lucas Fairweather 18m 6s, Mitchell Ferguson 18m 13s.

Taihape
Taihape Half Marathon, 23 March: Brian Garmonsway 1h 14m 38s, Chris Sanson 1h 19m 27s, Adrian Lysaght 1h 19m 31s. Emma Rough 1h 35m 54s.

Wellington
Lifestyle Sports Waterfront 5km Series, 19 March: Martin Van Barneveld 15m 2s, Michiel Kallenberg 16m 41s, Vaile Mexted 16m 53s. Vicki Jackson 18m 10s, Michelle Van Looy 19m 47s.
 
Nelson
Waimea Vineyard 5km Summer Series, 20 March, Deviation Course: Dan Busch 17m 31s, Takchisa Fujiwara 17m 46s, Charlie Squance 18m 17s.

Murray McKinnon
Athletics Correspondent
Athletics New Zealand
0274 806086
murray@mckinnon.co.nz