Kiwi team look to impress at Oceania Relays

New Zealand is sending a young and emerging ten-strong squad to compete at the Oceania Relays in Gold Coast this weekend (Saturday-Sunday May 6-7).

The event has been organised by Oceania Athletics to ensure an opportunity for Oceania member federations to enhance their relay qualification prospects for forthcoming World Athletics Series Meets.

New Zealand has entered developmental teams in the men’s 4x100m, 4x400m, women’s 4x400m and 4x400m mixed relay. The men’s 4x400m squad looks full of potential and will feature the 2023 New Zealand 400m number one Tommy Te Puni and his fellow Aucklander, Lex Revell-Lewis, 19, the current New Zealand 400m senior champion.

Te Puni, the New Zealand senior 200m bronze medallist, and Revell-Lewis are also part of the five-strong men’s 4x100m pool which includes New Zealand U20 100m champion Tyrone Trego of Wellington.

The women’s 4x400m squad is spearheaded by New Zealand U20 400m champion Amelie Fairclough and will also feature fellow Aucklander Maddie Kelso-Heap, who claimed national U20 400m and 400m hurdles bronze medals in March.

Athletics NZ team manager Mariah Ririnui said: “The Oceania Relays is a great opportunity for the team to gain experience of performing on the international stage. They’ll be teams entered from several nations including Australia so this will be a big test for our emerging sprinters. I’m sure all will relish the experience and take many learnings from the trip which will stand them in good stead for the future.”

The event will take place at Somerset College on the Gold Coast with the action beginning at 4.30pm (NZ time) on Saturday and from 2.30pm (NZ time) on Sunday. Each discipline will take place twice across the two-day programme with the team with the fastest time across both races awarded the golden baton.  

Race videos will be uploaded on the Oceania Athletics YouTube channel post event.

Follow the results via the Roster Athletics app.

New Zealand team for 2023 Oceania Relays

Women

Amelie Fairclough – 4x400m, mixed relay

Lucy Shennan – 4x400m, mixed relay

Maddie Kelso-Heap – 4x400m, mixed relay

Jemina Tennekoon – 4x400m, mixed relay

Men

Tyrone Trego – 4x100m

Jackson Rogers – 4x100m, 4x400m, mixed relay

Lex Revell-Lewis – 4×100, 4x400m

Troy Middleton – 4x400m, mixed relay

Tommy Te Puni – 4x100m, 4x400m

Asher Pettengell-Brand – 4x400m, mixed relay