Athletics New Zealand – News – Nick Willis, in his best placing of the season, finished third in the 1500m at the Stockholm meeting in 3m 34.49s

SWEDEN
DN.Galan Diamond League Meeting, Stockholm – 28/29 July 2011
Olympic and World shot put champion Valerie Adams continued her strong showing leading up to the world championships in Korea next month with a win in the shot put.

Competing at Kungsträdgården in downtown Stockholm, Adams beat her arch rival Nadezhda Ostapchuk of Belarus by 20 centimetres with a best throw of 20.57m.
Her series in the competition was 19.59m, 20.57m, 19.97m, x, x, 20.08m. Her New Zealand record is 21.07m.

Adams said that her training is going well as she builds up for the world champs.
“I’m still in pretty heavy base training nothing towards competition, tapering or anything and that is because our goal is the world champs. I’m pretty happy with the win, the goal was to win and to win with 20.57m I’m pretty stoked about that but the series on the other hand wasn’t that good,” said Adams.

Her next competition is at the Diamond League meeting in London on Friday.

Nick Willis, in his best placing of the season, finished third in the 1500m at the Stockholm meeting in 3m 34.49s. Silas Kiplagat of Kenya won in 3m 33.94s from compatriot Asbel Kiprop who clocked 3m 34.42s. Willis is entered in the Emsley Carr mile at the London meeting on Friday and his recent form indicates that John Walker’s historic New Zealand mile record of 3m 49.08s could be under threat.
Stuart Farquhar threw a season’s best of 84.21m to finish third in the javelin in Stockholm. This is Farquhar’s best ever international result. Andreas Thorkildsen of Norway won with the world’s best for 2011 of 88.43m.
The Stockholm meeting becomes New Zealand’s most successful Diamond League meeting with a first and two thirds.

FINLAND
Eliittikisat Meeting, Joensuu – 27 July 2011
Hamish Carson was third in the 1500m in 3m 40.82s, 3/10^ths of a second outside his personal best.

BELGIUM
Flanders Cup, Gentse Feesten Meeting, Gent – 30 July 2011
Holly Van Dalen improved to 10^th place on the New Zealand women’s all time 5000m list after finishing seventh in heat two of a mixed 5000m in 15m 41.68s. Malcolm Hicks DNF in the 5000m. Hayden McLaren was 4^th in heat 1 of the 1500m in 3m 41.91s, with Hamish Carson 5^th in 3m 42.06s. Malcolm Hicks was 3^rd in heat 2 of the 1500m in 3m 45.67s.

HUNGARY
Budapest Memorial István Gyulai – 30 July 2011
Nikki Hamblin won the 1500m in 4m 5.45s, just eight days after reducing her New Zealand 1500m to 4m 4.82s in Barcelona.

ENGLAND
Aviva UK Trials and Championships, Alexander Stadium Birmingham – 29/30 July 2011
Paul Martelletti was 16^th in the 10,000m in 29m 49.66s.
Kimberley Smith DNF in the women’s 10,000m, won by Werknesh Kidane of Ethiopia in 31m 8.92s.

AUSTRIA
Schlickeralmlauf 11.2km + 1270m Mountain Race – 24 July 2011
Jonathan Wyatt was third overall and first 35-39 in a time of 49m 19.3s.

AUCKLAND
Annual Glen Eden 10 mile road race – 30 July 2011
Jono Jackson and Tara La Grange repeated their victories of last year in the annual Glen Eden 16km road race on Saturday. Jackson, fresh from his fourth placing at the New Zealand cross country championships the previous week, was in a class of his own as he tackled the tough course with ease.
Treating the race as a training run Jackson was nearly a minute faster than last year as he took in the up hill climb to the Scenic Drive and the down hill scramble back to Ceramco Park. The 20 year old recorded 55m 16s to head in Chris Ritchie by a wide margin of four minutes. Josh Maisey was third in 61m 23s.
Jackson said that he didn’t push it too hard as he has the Auckland road championships this Sunday.
“I train around the Waitakere Ranges every Sunday and it was like another training run. I ran hard early to get a lead and then got into a rhythm for the rest of the way,” he said.
Jackson will debut over the marathon distance in the Lydiard Legend marathon in the Waitakere’s on 17 September.
La Grange clocked in at 66m 26s, a minute slower than last year. Nicky Green was second in 70m 7s with Emma Hunter third.

Rat Race 5km, Takapuna – 27 July 2011
Josh Rawlinson won in 15m 52s, six seconds ahead of Joel Martin. Megan Stewart was the first woman in 19m 40s, from Bridget Larsen 19m 56s.

Auckland Road Walking Championships, Keith Hay Park – 31 July 2011
Mike Parker won the senior men 10,000m in 52m 31s, with Karen Davison taking the senior women over the same distance in 1h 10m 36s. Sarah-Amy Drummond won the W19 5000m in 33m 56s. The 16 championships went to Andrew Jackson M16 in 30m 2s and Emma Dunbar the W16 in 38m 16s.

MATAMATA
41^st Round the Streets Relay – 30 July 2011
Hamilton Hawks won the senior men’s relay in the 5 x 3300m circuit clockwise around the streets of Matamata. The Hamilton team of Tim Stewart, Michael Whitehead, Cory Whiting, Jacob Priddy and Kerry Suter recorded 50m 47s. Lake City was second in 52m 42s. Cory Whiting had the fastest individual time of 9m 53s with Tim Stewart running 10m. Lake City won the master men from Hamilton Hawks. Dave Cronshaw of Lake City was fastest with 10m 28s, one second better than Glen Sexton of Hamilton. The Hawks team of Camille Buscomb Jenna Hansen and Maureen Leonard won the women’s relay from Tauranga. Hannah Barker of Lake City was fastest with 11m 18s. Hawks also won the master women with Anne Bradley running 13m 4s.

WELLINGTON
Scottish 3 Peaks, Event 3 – 31 July 2011
Rees Buck and Darryl Joyce clocked in with the same time of 2h 19m after covering the three peaks of Mt Crawford, Mt Albert and Hawkins Hill radar station. Angela Leck was the fastest woman in 2h 24m. Rees Buck and Angela Leck were the 9 peaks series champions for 2011. Darryl Joyce was second overall, five minutes behind Buck with Sophie Lee second in the women, 12 minutes down on Leck.

CHRISTCHURCH
51^st Riverside Handicap Road Relay, Hunter Terrace Beckenham – 30 July 2011
Canterbury Tri Club won the senior men from Sumner. Fastest laps 2 x 2.5km Alex Gorrie 15m 37s, Adrian Bailey 15m 59s. North Canterbury won the senior women from Canterbury Tri Club, fastest laps Laura Steffans 17m 47s, Margot Gibson 18m 21s. Port Hills won the master men from New Brighton Olympic, fastest laps Darren Hoolahan 16m 23s, Tim Bolter 17m 8s. Christchurch Avon won the master women from Port Hills, fastest laps Tracy Crossley 18m 53s, Fiona Gilroy 19m 35s.

INVERCARGILL
ILT Street Mile – 30 July 2011
Shaun Burgess won in 4m 36s, from M16 Sam Smith 5m 7s and master runner Glen MacIntosh 5m 8s. Genevieve Bourke won the women’s mile in 5m 20s, from W16 Hannah Adamson 5m 30s. Debbie Telfer was the first master woman in 6m 4s.

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

Athletics New Zealand – News