Athletics New Zealand – News – 2011 WMA WORLD T & F CHAMPIONSHIPS/Sacramento-USA

Sacramento CA – 6/17 July 2011
Evergreen Gisborne runner Ron Robertson was in outstanding form setting a world M70 record in winning the M70 1500m in 4m 52.95s. His earlier victory in the M70 5000m in 18m 15.53s was also a world M70 record. Robertson set a further world record in the 2000m steeplechase a M70 record of 7m 10.03s. The previous record was 8m 00.83s set by Portugal’s Francisco Vicente in 2003.

Sally Gibbs (48) from Tauranga won the W45 10,000m in 36m 3.59s and completed a treble at the championships winning the W45 marathon in a personal best 2h 52m 53s. The men and women started together and Gibbs was the first woman to finish in 29^th place overall. No other woman ran under three hours in any age group.  Nelson race walker Nyle Sunderland won the W40 10,000m walk in 57m 3.15s and the 20,000m walk in 1h 56m 54.18s. Christine McCahill was second in the W45 weight pentathlon. Margaret Peters was third in the W75 200m in 36.90s (-0.1), Dawn Cumming was third in the W75 1500m in 8m 00.18s and second in the W75 2km steeplechase in 13m 6.40s. Sue Hoskin was third in the W60 20,000m walk in 2h 12m 0.38s.
Gavin Stevens in 24^th place overall was third in the M55 marathon in 2h 50m 41s. Stevens had earlier finished fourth in the M55 10,000m in 36m 18.64s.
Marcia Petley was third in the W80 800m in 5m 17.32s.

SALOMON FOUR TRAILS – 6/9 July 2011
Anna Frost won the women’s race in the 163.6km race over four stages over trails through the mountains of three countries Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
Frost recorded a total time of 22h 8m 35.6s, to win by 25 minutes.

BELGIUM
Liege – 13 July 2011
Rochelle Coster seventh in the 100m in 12.35s (0.0), won by Katerina Cechova of Czech Republic in 11.70s.

KBC Night of Athletics, Heusden-Zolder – 16 July 2011
Adrian Blincoe was under the world championships B standard after finishing seventh in the 5000m. Run in far from perfect conditions, cold, heavy rain and strong winds down the back straight Blincoe recorded 13m 24.82s. He holds the New Zealand record of 13m 10.19s set in Heusden in 2008. Aaron Pulford set a personal best of 14m 3.92s in heat three of the 5000m. Jake Robertson did not finish the 5000m. Kimberley Smith made a rare appearance on the track finishing fourth over 5000m in 15m 14.02s.

Smith, who is aiming for the marathon at the London Olympics, holds the New Zealand 5000m record at 14m 45.93s set in Rome in 2008. Hayden McLaren was fifth in his heat of the 1500m in 3m 40.83s, while Malcolm Hicks won his heat in 3m 47.27s. Alex Jordan was fifth in heat one of the 400m in 47.53s. Daniel O’Shea was second in heat one of the 400m hurdles in 52.54s with Michael Cochrane sixth in 57.73s. Andrea Koenen was seventh in heat one of the 200m in 24.94s (+1.2).

GERMANY
IAAF World Combined Events Challenge, Ratingen – 16/17 July 2011
Sarah Cowley in the heptathlon was 11^th after the first four events with 3392 points.
Her performances were: 100m hurdles 14.06s (+1.6) 970, high jump 1.80m 978, shot put 12.03m 663, 200m 26.18s (+2.7) 781.
Cowley completed day two of the competition in 12^th place overall with 5604 points. Day two performances were: long jump 5.93m (+2.7) 828, javelin throw 35.81m 587, 800m 2m 21.96s 797.

Internationale Bottroper Leichtathletik Gala, Bottrop – 15 July 2011
Hamish Carson was tenth over 1500m in 3m 42.31s.

Internationale Hochsprung, Eberstadt – 16 July 2011
Elizabeth Lamb was 11^th in the high jump with 1.84m. Competition won by Svetlana Shkolina of Russia with 1.99m from Blanka Vlasic of Croatia who cleared 1.97m.

FRANCE
Palaiseau, Paris – 12 July 2011
Te Rina Keenan 1^st discus throw 49.37m, Tom Walsh 1^st junior discus 1.75kg 48.56m.

ITALY
Internazionale, Euganeo Stadium, Padova – 17 July 2011
Lucy Van Dalen ran a personal best 4m 11.59s to finish sixth in the 1500m. Race won by Alice Schmidt of USA also in a PB of 4m 8.09s.

SCOTLAND
Scottish Championships, Scotstoun Glasgow – 17 July 2011
Angie Smit won the 800m in 2m 5.54s and Hannah Newbould won the 1500m in 4m 19.04s. Rebekah Greene was third in the 1500m in 4m 21.86s and Te Rina Keenan was third in the discus throw with 45.79m.

NORTHLAND
Wilkinson Trophy 10km Road Race, Kaipara Flats – 16 July 2011
Scott Winton collected the Trophy for the second year in succession powering his way to victory by a wide margin of three minutes in 32m 23s. Lee Greer was second in 35m 24s, with Mark Rawlison third in 37m 23s. Mikki Williden, 2009 women’s winner, was the first woman in 41m 39s. Ian Calder M50 was the best of the masters in 35m 43s while Harry Linford won the M20 in 38m 21s.

AUCKLAND
Rat Race, Takapuna – 13 July 2011
Josh Tattley won the 5km road race in 16m 10s, over a minute ahead of Alan Clinton. Tara La Grange was the first woman in 18m 8s. 

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