News & Updates

9 December 2022 • Track and Field

Steedman lowers 45-year-old championship record in Inglewood

The early stages of the senior boys 3000m final at the 2022 New Zealand Secondary Schools Championships. Credit: (Ken Davies)

The endurance athletes took centre stage on day one of the New Zealand Secondary Schools Track, Field and Road Championships at a rain-soaked TET Stadium in Inglewood.

In the junior boys 3000m final, Alfie Steedman put on a masterclass to lower the 45-year-old championship record of Dave Burridge (8:32.20) to win a high-class final in 8:27.08.

The tall Westlake Boys High School student led from the gun and setting a relentless pace from the outset was richly rewarded as he pulled clear of his rivals in the latter stages to strike gold in a healthy new PB.

Silver medallist George Wyllie (Tauranga Boys) enjoyed a cracker of a race to also better the previous championship record time clocking a PB of 8:31.75 with Caleb Wagener (Auckland Grammar) bagging bronze in 8:39.47.

Alfie, 15, a former footballer who only took up athletics seriously two years ago, said: “I was aware of the record but I was not too confident. It was a little bit windy, a little bit wet. I wasn’t sure if I could do it, but when I got on the start line I just went for it.

“It was a grind from the start and I just thought I would be myself (on front) but George and Caleb were both with me. I looked back with a lap to go and they were still there and I was nervous but I just started sprinting into that last 400m and trusted myself I wasn’t going to blow up.”

“It is not easy getting up at six in the morning when it is pitch black, windy and raining, but when you stay consistent in training and it pays off, it is a great feeling.”

Boh Ritchie (St Peter’s School) has been making quite an impact over the past 12 months or so and once again the 15-year-old impressed to outpace her opposition over the final 600m to land the junior girls’ 3000m crown.

Ritchie did not panic when Imogen Barlow (St Kentigern) opened up a gap on the field and the eventual gold medallist launched her winning strike in the final 600m to stop the clock in 9:56.48.

Imogen claimed a silver medal in 10:10.21 with Courtney Fitzgibbon (Waiopehu College) setting a PB in bronze (10:16.19).

“I am stoked to come away with the win,” adds Ritchie, who took up athletics in Year Seven and is coached by Angela Russek. “The main goal is World Cross and my main target was a top three today,” she says. “I don’t feel like I have much speed as it is the start of the season, but I’m happy with my performance today.”

Ritchie has enjoyed a supremely successful 2022 winning U18 mile gold, and national U20 cross country and road race gold medals.

In a highly-anticipated senior boys 3000m final, a blistering burst of pace by Karsen Vesty propelled the Havelock North High School student to a thunderous victory in 8:26.28.

Christian De Vaal (Macleans College) had come into the race the man in form after posting a national U18 3000m last month of 8:10.72.

After a steady first 2km – in which the lead group at that stage contained at least 15 athletes – De Vaal hit the front and slowly cranked up the pace.

Yet it was Vesty, the national U20 1500m champion, who had the superior pace in the latter stages, kicking clear to win a memorable gold medal.  

Cameron Maunder (Westlake Boys) overhauled De Vaal to take silver in 8:27.54.

An elated Vesty said: “I’m very excited, I’ve been looking forward to secondary schools for a while I’m super happy to get it done and get the win.

“I was quite surprised it wasn’t super quick, as I thought Christian might take it out. I was getting more and more excited the longer it went. I was working hard in that last kilometre but I knew on the last lap if I could stay with him (De Vaal) I could get him on that final straight.”

Karsen will take to the start line in the heats of the senior boys 1500m on Saturday.

Bella Earl (Whangarei Girls HS) produced a typically gutsy effort to cruise to the senior girls 3000m title in the heavy rain – stopping the clock in 9:52.02.

After setting the pace from the outset she was rewarded by reversing the result from the 2022 U18 New Zealand Cross Country Championships with Catherine Lund (Otago Girls’ High School) in silver (10:00.09). Zara Geddes (St Hilda’s Collegiate) earned bronze in 10:03.38, the same colour medal she won in the U18 race at the national cross country championships in Taupo.

Ruben Vogel kept his cool in the soggy conditions to produce a class performance and claim senior boys pole vault gold -soaring clear at a best of 4.50m.

Biding his time he entered the competition at 4.00m but required a nerve-shredding third time clearance to maintain his interest in the competition. However, finding his groove the Takapuna Grammar Student cleared 4.10m and 4.20m at the first time of asking before flying high at 4.50m with his second attempt.

Vogel said: “The feeling is relief,” he says. “With all the rain today, I was a bit sceptical on take off but as the competition progressed I felt more comfortable and got into the swing of things.”

Elsewhere in the field, Katie Hallie (Takapuna Grammar) produced a brave performance to edge to victory by 1.05m from Karmen Maritz (Westlake Girls) in the junior women’s discus. Hallie (Takapuna Grammar) has been struggling with a strained hand for the past couple of week but a 43.60m effort in round two propelled her to gold.

In the senior women’s javelin, a thrilling final round effort of Mya Phillips (Marian College) catapulted her from outside of the medals to gold with a 39.24m effort. Ruby Donnelly (Motueka HS) was relegated to silver (38.94m).

National U18 men’s javelin champion Douw Botes (Botany Downs Secondary College) added the senior boys’ New Zealand Secondary Schools crown to his collection, dominating with a best of 59.55m.

Jody McCarthy-Dempsey (Darfield) edged a tight junior girls long jump by 6cm with a best of 5.20m from Ella Waldron (Geraldine HS) in silver.

A flurry of New Zealand Secondary Schools records were set in the Para events with a noteworthy national U20 T38 200m set by Sasha Al Dahzani (New Plymouth Girls HS) as she snared silver in a time of 35.77 behind gold medallist T37 Sionann Murphy (Northcote College).

Murphy (Northcote College), won a second gold with a best of 23.84m to win the senior girls para discus with a F37 championship record

Jaxon Woolley (Papamoa College) splashed through the rain soaked track in a time of 26.62 to set a T38 national secondary schools record to win gold in the men’s para junior 200m.

Lucas Pedersen (Cambidge High School) set a New Zealand Secondary Schools record in the T54 200m to win silver in 40.98 and achieved a championship record of 12.10m in the F55 junior para discus to strike junior para discus gold.

Corran Hanning struck gold in the senior boys para discus with a New Zealand Secondary Schools record of 36.25m.

In the women’s junior para discus local Milly Marshall-Kirkwood from the local Inglewood High School set a national secondary schools and new national record of 11.62m to take silver behind Charli Gardiner-Hall (F37), who hurled the discus 18.28m for gold.

The final events of the day – the girls’ junior and senior hammer competitions – were played out in the worst of the conditions and both competitions were reduced to four rounds.

In the senior girls event, national U18 champion Mikalya Sola (Hutt Valley HS) with a best of 45.54m edged Nadja Kumerich (Rangitoto) by 22cm. Meanwhile, in the junior competition it was even closer as Paige Fletcher (St Kentigern’s) shaded Melelosaline Lose (Hamilton Girls’ High School) by 6cm with a best of 43.85m to win gold.

For full results from day one go here

The action on day two of the 2022 New Zealand Secondary Schools Championships starts at 9am. Follow the action via the livestream here