News & Updates

A 5000m race late in the evening should produce the goods in the form of performance standards for forthcoming championships at the 2022 Daikin Night of 5s on Wednesday at AUT Millennium, Auckland.

The annual event, which was rescheduled from its traditional December date because of Covid restrictions, has attracted a top-class field of senior and age-group runners for the Blincoe Cup 5000m.

Olympic triathlon bronze medallist Hayden Wilde, national 5000m champion for the last three seasons, has his sights set on the Commonwealth Games A performance standard of 13:17.00 and possibly the World Championships standard of 13:13.50.

Wilde has a personal best of 13:29.47 and with the help of a top-quality pacemaker in national 1500m champion Sam Tanner he will gunning for a fast time. Among Wilde’s rivals include; national mile and 3000m champion Julian Oakley PB 13:34.97 and 2018 5000m champion Oli Chignell PB 13:36.74. Other in-form seniors entered are Cameron Avery, Russell Green, Matthew Taylor and Christopher Dryden.

National under 20 3000m champion Will Anthony will have his eye on the time as he chases a world under-20 championship performance standard time of 14:15.00. The promising 18-year-old holds the national under-19 3000m record of 8:04.25 and has a best 5000m time of 14:21.62. Also eligible to qualify age wise for the under 20 championships who will be racing are Christian De Vaal under-18 3000m champion PB 5000m 14:26.09, National under-20 5000m champion Ronan Codyre PB 15:04.89 and Zane Powell national under-20 800m champion who has a best 5000m of 14:23.45.

The meet record of 13:31.84 was posted by Eric Speakman at the 2020 edition.

Laura Nagel should maintain her unbeaten record this season when she contests the women’s 5000m. Nagel with a best of 15:42.60 has a clean sweep of national titles this year winning New Zealand crowns over the 1500m, mile, 3000m and 5000m distance.

Also lining up are Maiya Christini, second in the national 5000m in 2021, Sarah Douglas who was second at the 2020 nationals, national 3000m steeplechase champion Anneke Grogan, 2018 3000m and 5000m champion Olivia Burne, who has a best of 16:19.10, Brigid Dennehy and Eva Pringle with a best of 16:57.61. Among those in the under 20-grade are Chloe Browne, Jemima Antoniazzi, Amelia Green and Stella Hammond. Camille Buscomb set the women’s race record of 15:28.78 in 2015.

As well as the elite races there are three other 5000m races.

Interest in the sprints, at the Area Permit Meeting, will centre on the women’s 100m where 15-year-old Talia Van Rooyen could rewrite the record book. At the national championships Van Rooyen sped to a wind assisted time of 11.50 which if legal would have claimed her all four national age group records. In the 100m line-up are Nadia Evans, Livvy Wilson, Marielle Venida, Symone Tafunai and Isabel Neal.

Jordan Bolland, Zachary Saunders and Tommy Te Puni match up in the men’s 100m.

Danielle Aitchison and Anna Steven are down for the Para Athlete 100m and Mitch Joynt and Jaxon Woolley will be chasing fresh Para Athlete records.

The women’s 800m has attracted a top field with Holly Manning, Jennifer Hauke, Rosa Twyford and Macey Hilton entered. The 2021 national 400m champion Camryn Smart acts as a pacemaker. 

James Harding who ran 1:48.95 for 800m on the North Shore track last year as a 17-year-old will be keen to give the under-19 record of 1:48.73 a nudge. Michael Dawson, Dominic Devlin, James Ford and Luke Hitchcock should give Harding plenty of competition.

Julia Ratcliffe is down for the women’s hammer throw, her first outing this season. Nicole Bradley will also be throwing. Anthony Nobilo will be out to clear another personal best in the hammer following his 66.71m in winning his fourth national title in Hastings earlier this month. Keeley O’Hagan, Rafe Couillault and Jayden Williamson will feature in the high jump.

Connor Bell, who has a best discus throw of 64.29m, will be looking to extend this to an A performance standard throw for the Commonwealth Games or automatic entry standard for World Championships. An interesting three-way contest should develop in the women’s discus between Te Rina Keenan, Tatiana Kaumoana and Savannah Scheen.

Nick Southgate and James Steyn square off in the pole vault and Imogen Ayris is close to eclipsing her best of 4.50m in the women’s pole vault.

Start lists here

Results link here

The livestream on Sky Sport Next will be in two sessions 

First session from 4pm here 

Second session from 8.30pm here

Words: Murray McKinnon