The New Zealand mile championships should highlight the annual Cooks Classic meeting on Sunday at Whanganui’s Cooks Gardens on the 60th anniversary of Sir Peter Snell’s epic world mile record at the iconic venue.
Eric Speakman will be looking to break a runner-up hoodoo that has seen him finish second in his last five New Zealand championship races. He was second in the mile championship last year, in his personal best time of 3:56.66, and on Saturday in Hastings was second to Julian Oakley in the 3000m championship.
Speakman will again face Oakley in the senior mile championship. Oakley with a best time of 3:55.10 is the national 1500m champion from last season. Oli Chignell who broke the four-minute barrier for the first time in finishing fourth last year in 3:59.77 will line up along with Lovelock mile champion Chanel Muir, John Walker junior mile winner Zane Powell, Benjamin Wall fifth last year, national junior 800m and 1500m champion James Harding, Matthew Taylor ninth last year in 4:07.70, Daniel Roswell tenth last year and the rapidly improving Karsen Vesty.
Such is the interest in the mile on the 60th anniversary, with nearly 30 entered, the field has been split into an A and B race based on times.
The women’s mile championship should produce a close finish with Katherine Camp, third last year, up against 2021 silver medallist Kara Macdermid, Sylvia Potts 800m winner Holly Manning, 3000m champion Laura Nagel, Susannah Lynch and Anneke Grogan.
Camp has won the Lovelock mile in Timaru for the last four years, is the national 800m title for the last three seasons and took out the national 1500m title in 2019. She has a best time for the mile of 4:44.24. Nagel is the fastest with 4:36.89 from 2014 and Macdermid has a time of 4:39.57 recorded in Belgium. Penelope Salmon, who won silver at the national 3000m championships last weekend, and Kerry White should ensure the pace is honest from the start.
The depth of the field event line-ups will put a number of stadium records under threat. Tom Walsh will have the shot put record of 21.11m in sight after losing it to fellow Tokyo Olympian Jacko Gill last year. Walsh last competed in Zagreb in September where he threw his seventh best shot of 22.39m. Potts Classic winner Nick Palmer is also entered for the shot put.
Olympians Lauren Bruce and Hamish Kerr will seek to break their own respective hammer and high jump records. Bruce threw 71.34m last year and Kerr cleared 2.27m. Bruce will also compete in the shot put.
Tori Peeters will be aiming to improve on Kirsten Hellier’s 1989 javelin stadium record of 55.44m.
National champions and brother and sister Scott and Anna Thomson will compete in the triple jump where the men’s record is 15.43m and women’s 12.97m. Angus Lyver and Lili Szabo are the leading athletes in the long jump.
The 400m hurdlers have agreed for Portia Bing being included in what is now a mixed race and a non-permit event. Bing, who ran a 400m PB of 52.78 at the Potts Classic, is seeking good competition to bank a fast hurdles time and improve on her national record of 55.86 set in Australia three years ago. However, her time, if achieved, will not be eligible for a New Zealand record but will be allowed for a stadium record which she currently holds at 56.05 from last year.
Bing will also compete in the 400m flat later in the programme.
In the sprints, Cody Wilson fresh from his 10.60 PB behind Tiaan Whelpton at the Potts Classic should lead in Oliver Krijnen and Ben Lambert. The three will also race against Zachary Saunders in the 200m.
Symone Tafuna’i and Talia Van Rooyan head the women’s 100m which also features the Collette twins Addira and Chayille. National 200m champion Georgia Hulls will race the 200m.
Troy Middleton will be all out to improve on his recent 400m PB of 49.61 when he races against Josh Ledger and Jacob Douglas.
James Preston who ran 1:48.38 on Saturday should have the 800m to himself.
The New Zealand under 20 3000m championships will be held in conjunction with the meeting.
Will Anthony is expected to add the 3000m title to the under-20 5000m and cross country titles he won last season. Anthony showed good form last week finishing eighth in the senior championship in a PB 8:10.48.
Chasing podium placings will be Christian De Vaal, Henry Beliveau who was sixth last year, Ronan Codyre and Charlie Hazlett.
Chloe Browne will be defending the women’s under 20 3000m crown. She has a best time of 9:47.06 from the North Island secondary schools’ championships in April last year and at last weekend’s senior championship finished eighth. Browne will face an extremely competitive field, which includes national junior 5000m and cross country champion Hannah Gapes, Boh Ritchie who was second last year and twin sister Bella, the national U20 1500m champion, who was third in the 3000m last year.
Also in contention for a medal is Isabella Richardson, the 2019 under-18 champion. Interestingly there are two sets of twins entered, the Browne twins and the Dunnett-Welch twins, Jamie and Sophie from Hastings.
The Cooks Classic has since the announcement of the return to red seen the one Cooks Classic become three separate meetings on Sunday with gaps between the three sections. The athletes will only attend the section they are competing in and leave at the conclusion of their event.
Spectators are unable to attend but the Capital Classic will be livestreamed from 4pm see here
Words: Murray McKinnon