News & Updates

World Championship 400m representative Rosie Elliott will be one of the star turns on show at the Lovelock Classic in Timaru on Saturday (7 January) as the 2023 classic season opens at Aorangi Park.

Last season Elliott, who had previously featured predominantly as a 100m and 200m sprinter, made a successful switch to the 400m winning the national senior women’s one-lap title in a PB of 52.59 and securing selection for the World Championships in Eugene, Oregon.

The 25-year-old Christchurch-based athlete is a regular at the Lovelock Classic and plans to open her account for the year by competing in the 100m, 200m and 400m. While the one-lap event remains her number one focus, she fully intends to target the shorter sprints to help sharpen her speed and Elliott is looking forward to the challenge on Saturday.

“The event typically attracts mainly South Island-based athletes, we usually enjoy pretty good conditions and is a lot of fun,” said Elliott. “I plan to run the 400m at Potts Classic (21 January) but I didn’t want Potts to be my first 400m of the season.

“We are running the 100m because it is ten minutes before the 400m, which is a fast turnaround, and similar to what we are facing at Potts.”

Elliott insists her first full winter specifically preparing for the 400m has gone well and she has some ambitious aims for 2023.

“I absolutely have the New Zealand record (of 51.60 set by Kim Robertson in 1980) in my sights,” she says. “I’m hoping to tick that one off quite soon, and beyond that I hope to hit the World Championships auto-qualifier of 51.00. I have some pretty big goals this year, which I’m excited about.”

Training partner of Elliott, Tiaan Whelpton is the big name set to feature in the men’s 100m. The 22-year-old sprinter who 12 months ago equalled the New Zealand resident record of 10.18 at the Potts Classic, is clearly in fine shape having clocked 10.25 (1.1m/s) and 10.35 (0.9m/s) – running the full 100m – in the heats and final of the handicap 100m at the Christmas Cracker meet in Christchurch on 28 December. Whelpton faces a strong field led by 2022 New Zealand senior men’s 100m silver medallist Cody Wilson (10.52) of Mana AA.

The feature event – the Lovelock Mile – features a strong field led by former New Zealand U20 800m champion Tom Moulai. The University of Canterbury athlete is the quickest man in the field, boasting a PB of 4.05.92 set two years ago in Whanganui but also looking to make his mark is national mountain running champion Cameron Avery (4:17.81), who last month won selection to compete for New Zealand at the World Cross Country Championships in February.

Other names to look out for are Ethan Smolej (4:20.20) of Papanui Toc H, who was fourth in this race in 2021, New Zealand U18 800m and 1500m silver medallist Liam O’Donnell (4:21.01) and 16-year-old Daniel Prescott (4:28.11) the national U18 cross country bronze medallist from Selwyn AC.

Katherine Camp will face a huge challenge as she attempts a fifth successive Lovelock Classic victory in the women’s mile. The 30-year-old Christchurch-based athlete has dominated this event in recent times, setting her PB over the classic distance of 4:44.24 at this event in 2020, however, she will face multiple threats in a high-quality race. The fastest miler in the field is Rebekah Greene, a former New Zealand senior women’s 5000m champion, who set her PB of 4:38.03 back in 2014. Also taking to the start line is national 800m gold medallist and 1500m silver medallist Holly Manning, who posted her lifetime best of 4:38.87 when fourth at the 2022 New Zealand Mile Championship.

Rio Olympian and two-time Commonwealth Games 800m representative Angie Petty, 31, is also entered making a gradual return to competition since giving birth last year. University of Canterbury athlete Rosa Twyford (4:52.22), who finished third in this event last year, also competes as does Tillie Hollyer (4:50.73).  

New Zealand senior men’s 400m champion John Gerber (48.18) will be the man to beat in the senior men’s 400m.

In the field, the men’s long jump should serve up a real treat at the 2021 and 2022 New Zealand champions Shay Veitch and Felix McDonald face a head-to-head showdown. Veitch is in great nick having set a PB of 7.83m in Dunedin in November – to climb to joint number five on the all-time New Zealand lists. McDonald (7.61m), the current senior men’s long jump champion, will provide strong opposition.

In the men’s high jump look out for Oceania and New Zealand U20 champion Adam Stack (2.07m) while three-time senior national champion Josephine Reeves competes in the women’s equivalent.

New Zealand senior men’s javelin champion Jared Neighbours (61.84m) leads the contenders in the combined men’s and women’s javelin. Neighbours will also be one of the main contenders in the men’s discus – where he will face New Zealand senior men’s bronze medallist Kieran Fowler.

Oceania decathlon champion Max Attwell is set for a busy day as he competes in the 100m, 110m hurdles, discus and long jump. New Zealand heptathlon champion Christina Ryan also has a hectic schedule, entered for the 100m hurdles, 200m, long jump, shot and javelin.

While the open grades have attracted 130 athletes – 179 athletes – boosted in part by the fact that Timaru hosts the South Island Colgate Games (13-15 January) – compete in the junior grades which begin at 9.30am. The open grades start from 1pm.