News & Updates

Rebekah Greene and Laura Nagel will resume their rivalry following last Friday’s 3000m championship in Wellington, over half the distance in the feature women’s 1500m at the Porritt Classic meeting in Hamilton on Saturday (11 February).

Nagel was unbeaten over the 1500m last season, including taking out the national title in Hastings, and has a best of 4:14.31.

Greene won the national mile title in Whanganui last month in a personal best of 4:32.92 and was second in her best time of 4:14.31 in the 1500m at the last edition of the Porritt Classic in 2021.

Camille Buscomb won in 2021 in 4:13.47 and is back as the recently married Camille French ready to measure up as a new mother. Another lining up after having recently giving birth is Angie Petty.

Petty has won 12 New Zealand titles and has a best 1500m of 4:07.83 set in Finland seven years ago.

Tillie Hollyer, bronze medallist in the national 3000m championship, will be seeking to improve on her PB of 4:25.36 from last season. Suzy Walsham of Australia holds the meeting record of 4:13.16 from 2004.

The men’s permit 1500m, the last event on the programme at 7.10pm, will see Russell Green, Jack Paine, David Lee, Ben Bidois and Jacob Priddey line up.

Commonwealth shot put bronze medallist Maddison-Lee Wesche, who set a PB of 19.50m to place seventh at the World Athletics Championships last year will be eying up further improvements. Dame Valerie Adams holds the meeting record of 20.25m from 2010 and this will be an added incentive for Wesche to crack the 20 metre barrier.

Four of New Zealand’s five Tokyo Paralympic medallists will also be in action in Hamilton led by shot put F37 gold medallist Lisa Adams, who will be looking to pepper the 15m line and give her world F37 record of 15.50m a nudge.

Two-time Paralympic long jump champion Anna Grimaldi is also in action in the open women’s long jump, where she faces a crack field including Ashleigh Bennett, Mariah Ririnui, Briana Stephenson and Charlotte Goldsmith.

Double Paralympic sprint medallist medallist Danielle Aitchison and Anna Steven are in the Para Athlete 100m and 200m while Mitch Joynt and Joe Smith are also down for both events. Look out too for Tokyo Paralympic T36 long jump silver medallist and 400m bronze medallist Will Stedman, who faces a busy day entered for the Para 100m and 200m and open long jump and 400m.

Sprinting should be racing hot with Tommy Te Puni, Cody Wilson, Joseph Millar and Troy Middleton entered in the 100m and 200m with Shay Veitch and Hamish Gill adding extra spice to the 200m. Veitch is also in the long jump with Lewis Arthur.

Livvy Wilson, Brooke Somerfield and the Collette twins Chayille and Addira compete in the double sprints while national champion Rosie Elliott – fresh from her lifetime best of 52.16 at Cooks Classic – faces off against national 400m silver medallist Isabel Neal in a high-class women’s 400m.

Te Puni and Lex Revell-Lewis are entered in the 400m.

James Ford and Dominic Devlin will follow up their thrilling finish in the Capital, narrowly won by Ford, with another clash over 800m.

The women’s 800m has lost Holly Manning, who has gone down with a bad dose of Covid, leaving Stella Pearless and Jennifer Hauke still in the running for a fast time.

Joshua Hawkins will be out to repeat his win in Wellington over the 110m hurdles.

Alice Taylor should continue her recent good form in the high jump while Rāfe Couillault, Mate Poduje, Tom Moloney and Jayden Williamson will match heights in the men’s equivalent.

Tori Peeters is in the javelin, where the meeting record is 61.17m, which was also the New Zealand allcomers record until Peeters eclipsed it with 62.40m at the national championships last March.

Hammer throwers Lexi Maples and Anthony Nobilo will be in action and Douw Botes winner in Wellington is down for further competition in the javelin.

By Murray McKinnon

****Watch the Porritt Classic via the livestream on Saturday 11 February which starts at 2.05pm here

Porritt Classic Entry lists here

Porritt Classic Live results link here