News & Updates

The 2024 Sir Graeme Douglas International presented by Harcourts Cooper & Co looks set to be the “Field of Dreams” as stellar fields of jumpers and throwers take centre stage at the Douglas Track & Field, Trusts Arena in Auckland on Sunday (10 March).

The annual World Athletics Continental Tour bronze label events has attracted a large and quality line up of overseas talent – led by a large contingent of Australian and Japanese athletes – all set to take on the leading domestic names in one of the annual highlights of the domestic track and field calendar.

One of the marquee events will be a high-class women’s javelin, which features New Zealand record-holder and 2023 Diamond League Final podium finisher Tori Peeters, who has made giant strides over the past 18 months or so. Last May she bettered her New Zealand record with a 63.26m throw in Japan and she will want to build on an encouraging start to the year – she set a season’s best of 59.43m last weekend in Hamilton – with a good performance in Auckland ahead of next week’s Jennian Homes New Zealand Track & Field Championships in Wellington (14-17 March).

Among her main opposition with be three-time Olympian and Canadian record-holder Liz Gleadle and Sae Takamoto of Japan, a 2022 World Championship finalist. The men’s javelin will be another of the showcase events with eight men in the field boasting a PB of more than 80m led by Japan’s 86.83m thrower and Rio Olympic finalist Ryohei Arai.

The men’s horizontal jumps have attracted some of best quality international fields ever assembled in New Zealand and expect fireworks in both. The men’s triple jump boasts an eight-strong field all of whom are capable of jumping in excess of 16m. Leading the domestic challenge are the Olivier brothers, Ethan, the New Zealand record-holder with a best of 16.67m and elder sibling, Welre, who set a NZ resident record of 16.33m at the ITM in Christchurch last month – a competition Ethan claimed victory in after sailing out to a windy 16.85m. Australian Connor Murphy, who recently set a PB of 16.82m, is among the opposition.

Such is the quality of the field in the men’s long jump, the competition has been split into a Pool A and Pool B. Watch out in the latter event for New Zealand champion Shay Veitch, who at the 2023 Sir Graeme Douglas International presented by Harcourts Cooper & Co, set a PB of 7.99m to climb to joint number two on the all-time lists. Liam Adcock of Australia, who equalled the NZ allcomers record of 8.05m when winning last year’s event, returns and watch out too for high-flying Japanese record-holder Shoutarou Shiroyama (8.40m).

Expect to see a competitive tussle in the women’s pole vault between Commonwealth bronze medallist Imogen Ayris (4.54m) and Japanese champion Misaki Morota (4.48m) with the former making her first outdoor appearance of the season after completing a busy indoor season in Europe.

Ayris has a season’s best of with 4.48m and the Auckland-based athlete is relishing a return to her home meet.

“I’ve been going really well in training, it has just not quite been reflected in the competitions so far,” said Ayris, who has been coached by Scott Simpson since June last year. “Douglas Track & Field, Trusts Arena is an incredible venue and I have happy memories there having made my first 4m clearance at the venue.

“I’m looking forward to jumping well, and what better place to do it, then in front of family and friends.”

In form Kiwi duo James Steyn and Nick Southgate clash in the men’s pole vault with the meet record of 5.30m set by the latter athlete vulnerable.

In the shot circle look out for Nick Palmer, who last month in Christchurch joined Tom Walsh and Jacko Gill as the third Kiwi in history to join the 20m club.

Many of New Zealand’s star Para athletes and also in action in Auckland led by World and Paralympic shot put F37 champion Lisa Adams who completes in her speciality event. World Para shot silver medallist Holly Robinson, fresh off a national women’s shot F46 record of 12.17m in Christchurch last month, also takes to the shot circle and the Dunedin-based Paralympic javelin F46 champion also competes in the javelin.

World Para 200m T36 champion Danielle Aitchison has come very close to breaking the world women’s 100m T36 of 13.61 and if conditions are right, expect the Hamilton-based sprinter to come close once again where she will claim a $1000 purse split among Para athlete who set a world record on Sunday. 

Double World Para long jump and 400m T36 silver medallist Will Stedman will also hope to put in a statement performance across both events as he looks to build on a huge year featuring both the Para Athletics World Championships in Kobe and the Paris Paralympic Games.

With a prize pool of $1000 per event plus $4500 Merit Bonus Pool on offer for the top three points scorers on the World Athletics results scores, and a further $2000 available for the top four Para performing points scorers on percentage of world record they will be no lack of incentive for athletes to shine.

Meet records could be re-written in the men’s sprints with a high-class men’s 400m featuring Australia’s World University Games silver medallist Reece Holder (44.79) and France’s World Championships 4x400m silver medallist Teo Andant (45.18) targeting the meet record of 46.23 held by Cam French since 2015.

Japan’s Taju Hongo romped to an emphatic 100m victory at the ITM in Christchurch last month in 10.22 and the Japanese athlete will once again be the man to beat over the 100m as he comes up against Australia’s meet record holder Jack Hale, who posted his mark of 10.20 at the 2023 edition.

In the women’s track events look out for a quality 400m battle between New Zealand 400m hurdles record-holder Portia Bing (52.78) and Australia’s 2022 World U20 finalist Ellie Beer (52.14).

National 400m champion and New Zealand 200m record-holder Rosie Elliott steps down in distance to compete in the women’s 100m, where she will face a strong overseas challenge led by two-time World Championships representative Bree Masters of Australia.

Meanwhile, in the middle-distances look out for yet another tussle between New Zealand 1500m champion Laura Nagel, who has twice dipped below 4:10 for the first time in her career this season, and New Zealand mile champion Rebekah Aitkenhead. Tokyo Olympian Run Urabe (4:07.90) is the pick of the Japanese athletes.

In the men’s equivalent, Tokyo Olympian Abraham Guem (3:37.85) of South Sudan takes on a formidable group of Japanese athletes. National mile silver medallist David Lee leads the home athletes.

***For the draft fields go here

***For the event programme including full timetable go here

***The event will be screened on Sky Sport 9 and simultaneously livestreamed from 3pm here

***For live results go here

***For meet records go here

***For tickets go here