News & Updates

A star-studded line up of New Zealand athletes are set to compete at the Maurie Plant Meet in Melbourne on Thursday (15 February) at Lakeside Stadium – in the World Athletics Continental Tour Gold meet – the most prestigious annual one-day athletics meet in the Oceania region.

Leading the Kiwi challengers is sprint superstar Zoe Hobbs, who features in a mouthwatering 100m showdown with teenage sensation Torrie Lewis, who last month blasted to an Australian 100m record of 11.10 in Canberra.

Hobbs, who finished fourth in her most recent competitive outing over 60m at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in Boston, will seek to make a big impact as she builds on her season in the countdown to the Paris Olympics. Besides Lewis, Hobbs will also face the challenge of Australian duo Bree Masters (11.23) – who the Kiwi defeated over 100m last month in Hastings – and Ella Connolly (11.25).

An excited Hobbs said: “I’m looking forward to racing in Melbourne. It will be one of few 100m races I will do this domestic season. I didn’t get to line up in last year’s event, so can’t wait to be in amongst the buzz of the event this year.”

Sam Tanner has made an outstanding start to 2024 snaring both the New Zealand mile and 3000m titles and he is set for the biggest examination of his season so far as he takes on a world-class field in the John Landy Mile.

The second fastest New Zealand athlete over the mile following his lifetime best of 3:49.51 in Eugene last September, Tanner has all the credentials over the 1760yd distance.

His opposition will be fierce led by Great Britain’s 2022 World 1500m champion Jake Wightman (3:50.30), who is gradually returning to the competitive arena after an injury ravaged 2023.

The Australian assault is led by Stewart McSweyn, the former national mile record holder with a PB of 3:48:37, and Jye Edwards (3:49.27). Teenage prodigy Cameron Myers, who smashed a long-standing 1500m meet record to win in a time of 3:34.55 in Adelaide last weekend is also entered as is Peyton Craig, who edged a tight battle from Kiwi James Preston in Adelaide on Saturday over 800m setting an Australian U20 record of 1:45.41 in the process.

Diamond League final podium finisher Tori Peeters will seek to step up her campaign in a mouthwatering women’s javelin. The New Zealand record-holder opened her season with victory in the Capital Classic in Wellington, but she will have to be at her best to repel the powerhouse Australian challenge led of 2019 and 2022 world champion Kelsey-Lee Barber, who boasts a PB of 67.70m, and veteran Kathryn Mitchell (68.92m), the 2018 Commonwealth champion. A strong contingent of four Japanese throwers will also pose a threat to the Hamilton-based javelinist, whose national record sits at 63.26m.

Commonwealth champion Hamish Kerr competes in his first overseas competition of 2024 and will face a significant step up in opposition. The 27-year-old Christchurch-based jumper has claimed comfortable wins so far this year in Timaru, Hawera and Whanganui – the latter with a season’s best of 2.27m – but should be pushed harder in Melbourne. He faces 2022 World Championship finalists Joel Baden (2.33m) of Australia and Tomohiro Shinno (2.31m) of Japan.

World Championships discus finalist Connor Bell claimed a huge scalp with victory over Commonwealth champion Matt Denny of Australia on Saturday in Adelaide posting a meet record of 65.93m and the duo are set for a tasty Trans-Tasman re-match at Lakeside Stadium.

The 22-year-old Auckland-based Kiwi is a rising force and will want to maintain that form in a high-class competition, which also features the British duo Lawrence Okoye (68.24m), the Commonwealth silver medallist, and Nicholas Percy (65.00m).

New Zealand 1500m and 5000m champion Laura Nagel, fresh off her sizeable 1500m PB of 4:09.92 in Adelaide, will be in action over the 12-and-a-half distance as will her countrywoman Rebekah Aitkenhead, the New Zealand mile champion, in a high-class race which features two sub-15-minute athletes.

New Zealand record-holder Josh Hawkins has made a positive start to the season with wins in Wellington and Hamilton and he will hope to continue to progress against a strong field in the men’s 110m hurdles spearheaded by 2023 World Championship finalist Sasha Zhoya of France, who boasts a lifetime best of 13.15.

The other Kiwi in action is 2022 Commonwealth Games sixth-placer Keeley O’Hagan who faces Olympic silver medallist Nicola Olyslagers of Australia, who posted a huge 2.03m in Canberra last month, in the women’s high jump.

*Start lists and results here via Roster

*The meet starts at 8pm NZ time. Follow the livestream of the meet here