News & Updates

26 January 2023 • Track and Field

Tanner heads top mile field in race for national honours

The Cooks Classic has a rich mile history and once again the race over the classic distance will provide one of the meet highlights. (Credit: Peter Jones).

The magic of a sub four-minute mile will be on the cards at the annual Pak’nSave Cooks Classic meeting in Whanganui on Saturday.

Sam Tanner, national mile champion in 2021, heads a strong field including Russell Green who is knocking on the door of a sub-four time. Last year in the mile championship he was third in 4:01.24.

Tanner, who placed sixth in the 1500m at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games, has a best mile of 3:54.97 in winning the national title in 2021. James Preston makes an appearance over the longer distance from his usual 800m and with a 1500m time of 3:45.50, equivalent to a 4:03 mile he could become a newcomer to the sub-four ranks. Australian runners Callum Davies (23) with a best mile of 3:56.99 and Jude Thomas (20) – a 1500m best of 3:41.11 – will be competing.

Eric Speakman with a best of 3:56.66 in finishing second to Tanner in 2021 will ensure the pace is honest throughout.

Christian De Vaal and Karsen Vesty step up to the senior race. Vesty showed good form in winning the recent John Walker junior mile beating De Vaal on that occasion.

Forty six New Zealanders have gone under four minutes, the last being Liam Back in April last year. A total of 71 sub four-minute miles have been achieved on the famous Cooks Gardens track, since the first by Peter Snell in 1962.

Holly Manning will be looking to improve on her fourth placing and 4:38.87 last year in the New Zealand women’s championship. Rebekah Greene with a similar mile time of 4:38.03 is in the field along with Tillie Hollyer (4:45.87). Aimee Ferguson second in the recent Millie Sampson mile in 4:57.83 and Brigid Dennehy eighth last year in 4:50.11 also compete. Australians Sarah Billings (24) mile of 4:34.34 and Georgia Griffith (26) World University Games 1500m silver medallist with a best mile of 4:27.81 also take to the track.

Boh Ritchie will be defending her national U20 mile title against Emma Ferguson third last year, Mackenzie Morgan fourth last year and Niamh Motley. A strong field of Elliott Pugh, Alfie Steedman, Daniel Sinclair, James McLeay, Daniel Prescott, William Johnston and Nick Davies will contest the U20 men’s national mile title.

Birmingham Commonwealth Games gold medallists Tom Walsh and Hamish Kerr will highlight the field events. Walsh aiming to erase the meeting record for the shot put of 21.11m set by Jacko Gill in 2021. And Kerr whether he can improve on his high jump meeting record of 2.28m, which he improved by one centimetre last year on his performance the year before. Ryan Ballantyne and Nick Palmer are in the shot put and Adam Stack with a best of 2.07m in the high jump.

Lauren Bruce who has set a meeting record in the women’s hammer throw over the last two meetings with 71.34m and 72.05m is back along with Lexi Maples and Elizabeth Hewitt. 

Tommy Te Puni is down for the 100m and 200m together with Cody Wilson, and Joseph Millar. Zachary Saunders winner last year will compete in the 200m. Likewise, Josh Ledger will be defending the 400m.

A strong lineup of Cameron Moffitt, Jonathan Maples, Nathaniel Kirk and Flynn Johnston take on the 400m hurdles. Sophie Adams, Maggie Jones, Paige Cromarty, Georgia Whiteman and Grace Wisnewski are the leading hurdlers in the women. Michael Dawson and Jennifer Hauke compete in the 800m.

The women’s 400m will be one of the feature events of the evening with Portia Bing, Rosie Elliott, Isabel Neal, Shannon Gearey, Amelie Fairclough and Mia Powell entered along with Australian duo Jessica Thornton a best of 52.05 and Ellie Beer (52.53) and Loan Ville of New Caledonia. Bing is also entered in the 200m. Chayille and Addira Collette are in the sprints with Tamsin Harvey, Morgan Wilson and Hannah Sandilands.

Keeley O’Hagan and Imogen Skelton are in the high jump, O’Hagan having won last year with 1.81m. Hannah Sandilands will feature in the women’s long jump while Lewis Arthur and Max Attwell will take part in the men’s long jump. Scott Thomson, Ethan Gow and Luke Moffitt in the men and Anna Thomson, Hannah Collins and Sophie Hancock in the women will contest the triple jump.

The pre-meeting starts at 4pm with the main programme starting at 6.30pm. The last event the Peter Snell New Zealand one mile championship is at 9pm.

Between the sessions the World Athletics Heritage Plaque will be unveiled by New Zealand’s 1972 Olympic 1500m bronze medallist Rod Dixon and Athletics New Zealand president Karen Gillum-Green.

By Murray McKinnon

***Confirmed entries here

***Livestream from 4pm Saturday (28 Jan) here