Athletics New Zealand – News – New Zealand Road Championships Universiade (World University Games) – Australian Cross Country Championships

WELLINGTON

New Zealand Road Championships – 20 August 2011
Stephen Lett withstood a strong challenge from fellow Auckland runners Jono Jackson and Alex Parlane to win the national 10km road running title along Wellington's waterfront on Saturday.
Lett becomes the king of 10km running in New Zealand adding the road title to the track title won in January.

Lett said after a close second in the national cross country championships it was good to get the road title.

"I'm stoked. It was a good course, quite tight but it was good to have the crowd around, lots more spectators than if they had been held out of the city," he said.
Parlane made a bid for victory mid way through the race, breaking up the leading group and taking Lett and Jackson with him. Going by instructions from his coach Jack Ralston Lett set sail with 2km to go and went on to win by five seconds in 30m 58s.
Jackson was second with Parlane third, followed by the Wellington pair of Tim Hodge and Stefan Smith.
"We started off a bit slow and then Alex started cranking it up with 4km to go. I went with him and then I started to get a bit of a gap on him in the last lap and it was starting to hurt over the last kilometre," said Lett.
Jackson said that he had Lett in his sights throughout the race.
"He always gets a break one or two laps out and then it's just chase cat and mouse."
"He's a good competitor I just want to beat him once," said Jackson.

Lisa Robertson of Auckland captured her first national title winning the senior women 10km in 34m 32s. Canterbury's Fiona Crombie set the pace from the start with Robertson chasing. With a 1000m remaining Robertson hit the front and went on to win by 16 seconds.
"I just knew I had to get in front and she wasn't going to let me, so I thought I may as well wait till the last bit when she was a bit more tired and then go for it," said Robertson.
Crombie said she set out to challenge herself.
"I ended up pushing it at a good pace, kept it true and honest. I was trying throughout but the last kilometre I had a few stomach issues so I couldn't push it," she said.

Julian Oakley (Tauranga) was an impressive winner of the M19 while Auckland's Georgie Grgec retained her W19 title.
Oakley said that his middle distance track speed helped him to the victory.
"It was a pretty slow race which I was happy about. 1500m out Alex (Gorrie) took off and I closed the gap and when I caught up to him I thought I might as well go from here, 1km to go I got the lead and I just held on," said Oakley.
John Schreuder finished strongly just seven seconds behind Oakley in 25m 49s with Gorrie third in 25m 52s.
Grgec said that she had most of the season off with a stress fracture of the foot.
"I had six weeks off and I'm just getting back to racing now," she said.
"I was not expecting anything and to retain the title is a great thrill.
"I was just trying to hang on to Nicole (Mitchell). She kept kind of surging then she made a move down the back with 500m to go. So I went after her and just kind of tried to keep pushing it," said Grgec.
Mitchell said that there was a good group that got established and worked together well.
"I got out sprinted in the last bit. It's good preparation for the world mountain running championships, to see where I'm at training wise," said Mitchell.

16 winners were Jacob Priddey (Hamilton) in the men and Wellington's Susannah Lynch in the women.
For Priddey it was his first national title.
"It's a good first time title after all the training," said Priddey.
"Everyone took off fast so I just sat in and got some protection from the wind and then I tried to break everyone on the second lap but a couple of guys came with me and then I got to the last 500m took the lead and ended up winning," he added.

Tauranga's Sally Gibbs W45 fresh from her success at the recent world masters championships was in superb form in the master women winning the combined race with the junior women outright with an outstanding time of 17m 22s for the 5000m.
"I'm glad I had a cyclist (Todd Stevens) leading me through as I was quite confused about the course," said Gibbs.
"It was windy, it's a pity I didn't have time to enjoy the scenery. The aim was to try and win overall so I'm happy with that and happy with the time," she added.
Daniel Nixon of Wellington won the master men 10km in 32m 34s from Martin Lukes who ran 33m 17s.
Nixon said that the crowd support was brilliant and gave him a extra edge.
"I felt quite good at the start and I wanted to go out quite hard and strong and just run my own rhythm and not really think about the other people. I just had this image of myself in a cocoon the whole way just totally concentrating on myself – I was wondering if this makes me the fastest old man in New Zealand," said Nixon.
Roseanne Robinson of Otago won the women's 10km walk championship in 50m 1s, while Mike Parker of Auckland won the men's 10km walk in 49m 57s.

CHINA
Universiade (World University Games), Shenzhen – 16/21 August 2011
Hugo Beamish produced his best time of the outdoor season for sixth place in the final of the 5000m in a hot and humid stadium. His time of 14m 08.72s was only eight seconds behind winner Andrew Vernon of Great Britain.

The race was another tactical affair with the places decided by a final 450m sprint by the lead pack. Hugo was well placed at that point and just fell off the pace in the last two hundred meters. The large Kiwi contingent from a number of other sports at the final night of athletics provided vociferous support to Hugo throughout the race.

The standard of these games was phenomenal. There were many many athletes who produced World "B" qualifying standards (and some "A"s as well) throughout the competition.  Many countries are using the World University Games as an important stepping stone for their athletes on the way to World Championship and Olympic Games participation. The games village was nothing less than first class and the Athletics competition was run to an Olympic standard and in some cases the standard was higher than that produced by Beijing in 2008. Two examples would have to be the facility for the athletes to walk from the warm-up track to the main stadium track on rubber track surfacing the whole way (including stairs and ramps!), and call room two, just before the main stadium was a four lane by 60m track with blocks and hurdles available for the athletes to stay warmed up on. Also available for the athletes were ice baths in the changing rooms which was a first according to many experienced track and field coaches and managers.

As coach and team manager, David Long and I were blown away by the facilities and organisation of the competition. The final two nights were virtual sell-outs for the 60,000 seat arena and the atmosphere was electric! Our athletes gave their all in every event and we were proud of them both on and off the track.

Ed. Fern
Team Manager
World University Games

Results of New Zealand athletes:
Day 1 16 August: Billy Crayford high jump preliminaries 2.00m DNQ, Malcolm Hicks 1500m heats 6^th heat 2 3m 50.76s DNQ, Hamish Carson 1500m heats 5^th heat 3 3m 43.55s q, Danielle Trevis 10,000m final 6^th 35m 5.19s.
Day 2 17 August: Michael Cochrane 400m hurdles heats 6^th heat 5 55.98s DNQ, Johan Smalberger javelin throw preliminaries 68.61m (66.16m, 68.61m, x) DNQ.

Day 3 18 August: Andrea Koenen 200m heats 5^th heat 3 25.17s (-0.1) DNQ, Hamish Carson 1500m final 10^th 3m 50.56s.
Day 4 19 August: Hugo Beamish 5000m heats 3^rd heat 2 14m 13.94s Q, Sarah Cowley heptathlon, 100m hurdles 14.45s (-0.3) 916, high jump 1.77m 941, shot put 11.91m 655, 200m 26.81s (-0.3) 728 day one total 3240 15^th.
Day 5 20 August: Sarah Cowley heptathlon, day two, long jump NM, javelin throw 38.35m PB 636, 800m 2m 22.76s 786, total 4662 (six events) 18^th out 21.
Day 6 21 August: Hugo Beamish 5000m final 6^th 14m 8.72s.

AUSTRALIA
Australian Cross Country Championships, Stromlo Forest, Canberra – 20 August 2011
Declan Wilson of Auckland won the Australian under 20 cross country title on Saturday.
The win caps a successful season for Wilson having also collected the New Zealand secondary schools and the national junior cross country titles.
Wilson ran the 8km distance in 23m 57s, to beat Glen Yarham of Queensland by seven seconds.
Cameron Burstall of Auckland was ninth. Annika Pfitzinger was sixth in the women's under 20 6km and Ben Moynihan fourth in the boy's under 18.
Results:

Open men 12km; Luke Longdill 40m 50s 32.
Open women 8km; Elizabeth Orchard 32m 35s 35.
Men U/20 8km; Declan Wilson 23m 57s 1, Cameron Burstall 25m 46s 9, Michael Vercoe-Curtis 26m 38s 21, Tom Stringer 26m 41s 22, Ryan McAlister 26m 46s 24, Ryan Mahon 26m 52s 25.
Women U/20 6km; Annika Pfitzinger 21m 58s 6, Shauna Pali 22m 31s 13, Jaye Atkin 22m 47s 14, Emily Roughan 22m 52s 16, Florence Reynolds 23m 20s 21.
Boys U/18 6km; Ben Moynihan 18m 24s 4, Antoine Bonnet 19m 3s 10, Finn Wilson 19m 15s 18, Michael Lowe 19m 24s 21, Michael Sutton 19m 36s 30.
Girls U/18 4km; Kate Jefferd 14m 52s 33, Ariana Harper 15m 4s 43, Laura Carruthers 15m 29s 63.

AUCKLAND
Rat Race 5km, Takapuna – 17 August 2011
Stuart Grange won in 16m 23s with Tara La Grange the first woman in 17m 45s.

13^th WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS IN ATHLETICS, DAEGU – 27 August/4 September
Schedule of New Zealand Participation
Local time   NZ time
Saturday 27 August
10.00am      1.00pm    Brent Newdick, decathlon 100m.

11.00am      2.00pm    Brent Newdick, decathlon long jump.

12.50pm      3.50pm    Brent Newdick, decathlon shot put.

08.00pm      11.00pm  Brent Newdick, decathlon high jump.

10.40pm      1.40am    Brent Newdick, decathlon 400m.

Sunday 28 August
09.05am      12.05pm  Brent Newdick, decathlon 110m hurdles.

10.00am      1.00pm    Brent Newdick, decathlon discus throw or at 11.20am.

10.20am      1.20pm    Valerie Adams, shot put qualifying.

10.40am      1.40pm    Nikki Hamblin, 1500m heats.

11.20am      2.20pm    Brent Newdick, decathlon discus throw.

1.00pm       4.00pm     Brent Newdick, decathlon pole vault.

4.30pm       7.30pm     Brent Newdick, decathlon javelin throw or at 5.45pm.

5.45pm       8.45pm     Brent Newdick, decathlon javelin throw.

8.15pm      11.15pm    Brent Newdick, decathlon 1500m.

Monday 29 August
8.40pm      11.40pm    Valerie Adams, shot put final.

Tuesday 30 August
11.20am      2.20pm     Nick Willis, 1500m heats.

8.35pm      11.35pm     Nikki Hamblin, 1500m semi-finals.

Thursday 1 September
10.05am      1.05pm     Adrian Blincoe, 5000m heats

10.05am      1.05pm     Jake Robertson, 5000m heats

11.40am      2.40pm     Nikki Hamblin, 800m heats.

7.00pm      10.00pm     Stuart Farquhar, javelin throw qualifying, or at 8.20pm.

7.55pm      10.55pm     Nick Willis, 1500m semi-finals.

8.20pm      11.20pm     Stuart Farquhar, javelin throw qualifying.

8.55pm      11.55pm     Nikki Hamblin, 1500m final.

 

Friday 2 September
7.25pm      10.25pm     Nikki Hamblin, 800m semi-finals.

 

Saturday 3 September

8.00am      11.00am     Quentin Rew, 50km road walk final.

7.10pm      10.10pm     Stuart Farquhar, javelin throw final.

8.15pm      11.15pm     Nick Willis, 1500m final.

 

Sunday 4 September

7.40pm      10.40pm     Adrian Blincoe, 5000m final.

7.40pm      10.40pm     Jake Robertson, 5000m final.

8.15pm      11.15pm     Nikki Hamblin, 800m final.

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

 

Athletics New Zealand – News