Athletics New Zealand – News – Diamond League, Icahn Stadium – Olympic 1500m silver medallist Nick Willis

USA
Diamond League, Icahn Stadium, Randall’s Island New York – 11 June 2011
Olympic 1500m silver medallist Nick Willis went close to the A qualifying standard for the world athletic championships in Korea in Auckland after finishing runner up in New York.
Willis ran a season’s best of 3m 36.46s, better than the B standard of 3m 38s but just outside the A mark of 3m 35s.
Competing at the Diamond League meeting at Randall’s Island Willis just lacked his normal zip as he battled the head wind and rain down the final straight.

American David Torrence won in 3m 36.15s with Caleb Mwangangi Ndiku of Kenya third in 3m 37.04s.
Willis said that the time was more important than his placing in the unfavourable weather conditions.
“I was up the front and then didn’t quite have it over the last bit and I was about a second and a half slower than what I was hoping for the A standard and the Olympic qualifying time,” said Willis.

New York Road Runners Mini 10km Road Race, Central Park – 11 June 2011
Kimberley Smith finished sixth in the 40^th annual running of the mini 10km road race. Smith, who was forced to drop out of this year’s Boston Marathon with a calf injury while leading at 30km, showed an encouraging recovery recording a time of 32m 32s.
Runners from Kenya and Ethiopia filled the first five placings Kenyan Linet Masai winning in 31m 40s.
The race was dedicated to Norwegian distance running legend Grete Waitz, five times winner of the event. Waitz died in April after a long battle with cancer.

NCAA Division 1 Championships, Des Moines Iowa
June 9, 1500m preliminaries; Lucy Van Dalen (Stony Brook) 8^th 4m 18.50s Q, Julian Matthews (Providence) 12^th 3m 49.24s Q.
June 10, 5000m Paula Whiting (Tulsa) 13^th 16m 00.78s, won by Sheila Reid (Villanova) 15m 37.57s. 1500m finals, women Lucy Van Dalen 2^nd 4m 15.33s, won by Sheila Reid 4m 14.57s. Men Julian Matthews 12^th 3m 47.95s, won by Matthew Centrowitz (Oregon) 3m 42.54s.

AUCKLAND
Auckland Teams Cross Country, Barry Curtis Park, East Tamaki – 11 June 2011
Stephen Lett continued his winning streak over the country this season with a convincing victory over 10km at the annual teams cross country event on Saturday.
Lett broke clear of arch rival Alex Parlane at 7km after the pair had dominated the early front running around the muddy 2km circuit in East Tamaki.
The national 10km track champion recorded a time of 35m 19s, 19 seconds ahead of Parlane. Mike Banks, back in Auckland during a break from his American athletic scholarship, was third in 37m 20s.
Matt O’Donoghue led in the masters, in 39m 4s.
Rachel Penney, in the masters section, won the combined race with the senior women. Penney ran the 6km distance in 25m 6s, to head in Rachael Kingstone by 18 seconds. Robyn Young was second senior woman and third overall in 25m 37s.
Pakuranga won both the men and women senior team races.
John Schreuder won the junior 5km in 18m 40s leading North Harbour Bays to victory in the teams event. Florence Reynolds of Waitakere won the women 19 4km with Auckland City Athletic winning the teams race.

Throwers Meeting, Sovereign Stadium – 11 June 2011
World junior shot put champion and record holder Jacko Gill went close to his New Zealand M16 discus throw record at Sovereign Stadium on Saturday.
Competing on a slippery throwing circle Gill was out to 58.31m with the 1.5kg discus. His record is 59.15m set just last month in Noumea.
Gill also took part in the hammer throw recording a performance of 44.46m with the 5kg implement. Damian Smuts won the senior discus with 43.42m and the hammer throwing 46.09m. Adam Miller was out to personal best M19 6kg hammer throw of 49.26m. He also won the M19 discus with 45.68m. Johan Smalberger won the senior javelin with 67.90m, Nicholas Gerrard took out the M19 6kg shot with 15.43m, while Millie McNie won the women’s hammer with 46.33m from Ella Pilkington 42.35m.

WELLINGTON
Dorne Cup Cross Country, Trentham Memorial Park – 11 June 2011
Timothy Hodge won the senior 8km in 27m 32s, just one second ahead of Evan Cooper with James Coubrough third in 27m 54s. Sarah Drought was first through in the women’s 6km in 24m 19s from Tina Harris 24m 30s and Stephanie MacKenzie 25m 3s. In the M19 4km Kireron McDonald won in 14m 2s, three seconds ahead of Ryan McAlister. Lizzy Buckenburg was the best in the w19 4km in 16m 55s.

CHRISTCHURCH
Holloway Memorial Cross Country, West Eyreton – 11 June 2011
Simon Gannaway triumphed in the senior men’s 12km winning in 39m 29s, Axel Reiser was the best in the master men in 41m 5s.
Nicki McFadzien won the women’s 8km in 29m 6s from Sarah McSweeney 31m 23s. Fiona Gilroy led in the master women in 31m 41s. Alex Gorrie won the M19 8km in 25m 48s, Jaye Atkin won the W19 4km in 14m 54s.

DUNEDIN
Barnes Cross Country Handicap Races, Kettle Park – 12 June 2011
Daniel Balchin was the fastest in the men’s 5km in 16m 24s from Lyndon Brown 16m 41s and Bevan Stevens 16m 43s. Rebekah Greene was the best in the women’s 3.75km in 13m 59s from Sarah Chisnall 14m 47s.

TAIWAN
7^th Taipei 101 Run Up – 5 June 2011
Jonathan Wyatt and Melissa Moon both finished fourth in their respective men’s and women’s races up 2046 stairs to the 91^st floor outdoor viewing observatory.
Wyatt recorded 12m 18s, in his race won by Thomas Dold of Germany in 11m 19s. Dold beat defending champion Marco DeGasperi of Italy by 12 seconds. Moon’s time was 14m 54s, with the winner Valentina Belotti of Italy recording 13m 51s, just one second ahead of Wyatt’s wife Antonella Confortola of Italy.

ROUND-UP OF RACES AROUND THE COUNTRY
Whangarei two day marathon, off road course in Glenbervie Forest 4/5 June: Richard Blogg won the total 42.2km (16km, 5.1km, 21.1km) race in 3h 14m 18s, from Fred Needham 3h 20m 37s and Luke Banks-Novak 3h 37m 39s. Denise Limby won the combined total for women in 3h 49m 23s, from Tina Maher 3h 50m 45s and Jackie Grant 4h 9m 40s.
Rat Race 5km Takapuna 8 June: Atanas Alipiev 17m 22s, Nick Sutherland 17m24s, Andrew Wilson 17m 26s. Tara La Grange 19m 20s.

WAIRARAPA SPORTS AWARDS
Carterton athletics administrator and field events coach John Quinn was named administrator of the year and the supreme award winner.
Quinn has been chairperson of Team Wairarapa since its inception, is foundation trustee of the Wairarapa all-weather track trust and club captain of Athletics Carterton for the last four years.
Alex Fafeita was named youth sports personality of the year.

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

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