News & Updates

13 March 2023 • Weekly Roundup

Weekly Round Up: 13 March

Zoe Hobbs blasts to a stunning 10.97 clocking to win the women’s 100m at the Sydney Track Classic. Credit: (Fred Etter)

AUCKLAND

McKinnon Shield #9, Yvette Williams Track Pakuranga and AUT Millennium Stadium North Shore – 11 March 2023

Olivia McTaggart achieved the qualifying pole vault height for the world athletic championships in August, clearing 4.71m on her third attempt. This also added 6cm to her personal best.

McTaggart was over 4.41m on her first attempt, 4.51m and 4.61m on her second attempt, passed 4.65m and nailed 4.71m for the Auckland championship title.

Eliza McCartney went 4.41m first attempt, passed 4.51m, cleared 4.61m first attempt, passed 4.65m and missed at her three attempts at 4.71m. Imogen Ayris was third with a PB 4.51m.

“I’m ecstatic. I’m still in shock a little bit. I didn’t think today would be the day I would get 4.71m but everything came together and I really worked for it. I put so much technical strategy into the competition, I enjoyed it so much. I’m so happy,” said McTaggart.

“I wasn’t sure jumping 4.71m would happen this soon but Jeremy (McColl, McTaggart’s coach) said I was in 4.70m shape. I’ve done a PB pretty much every year I’ve competed, so to do so again and get that World Championship entry standard of 4.71m is perfect timing,” she added.

Nick Southgate won the Auckland senior men’s pole vault title with 5.02m on his first attempt, James Steyn was second at 5.02m on his third attempt and Canadian Nathan Filipek third with 4.92m. Ettiene Du Preez was third in the championship with 4.62m.

Cleo Loader 60m 7.85 +4.7, 100m 12.67 +4.5. Charlotte Goldsmith 100m 12.39 +4.5. Esme Reid 400m 59.14, Samantha Korck 60.11. Lisa Hellyer 1500m 4:47.43 PB, Sarah Hellyer 4:49.46 PB. Sophie Sones 100m H .762 15.94 +3.9.

Suzie Kennelly 3kg SP 14.43m, DT 48.31m. Tayla Lewis DT 34.83m PB, Fernanda Tirado 34.34m PB.

George Kozlov 60m 6.98 +4.9, 100m 10.77 +6.1, 200m 22.01 +2.5. Jeremiah Rogo 400m 50.51 PB, Thomas Cowan 50.88, Matthew Eady 51.10. Caleb Wagener 1500m 4:06.85, Ronan Lee 4:08.41. Ethan Phillips SP 11.60m, DT 36.09m. Percy Maka 1.75kg DT 48.51m. Jirah Esekia 4kg SP 14.62m, 1.5kg DT 54.50m PB.

WELLINGTON

Wellington Scottish Twilight Meeting #6, Newtown Park – 8 March 2023

Wellington 3000m championship: Tom Strawbridge 8:53.51, Malcolm Hodge 8:59.59, Daniel du Toit 9:01.29, Joshua Fitzgerald 9:08.26. Emma Perron 9:59.09 PB.

Saravee Sos 100m 11.90 -0.3, 200m 23.73 +0.4.

NELSON
Athletics Nelson Meeting, Saxton Field Athletic Track – 11 March 2023

James Hansen 400m H 57.56. Ben Walker LJ 6.69m +3.0. Alyssa Velluppillai 300m H 56.88.

CHRISTCHURCH

Don Greig Racing Stables Night of Fives, Ngā Puna Wai Sports Hub – 10 March 2023

Katherine Camp 16:39.2, Sophie Hicks 17:05.6 PB, Lahana Reeves 17:19.1 PB, Hannah Bartram 17:38.5, Natalie Dryden 17:41.5, Saskia Cosgrove-Drayton 18:04.0, Sabrina Piras 18:16.9 PB, Fiona Crombie 18:25.3. Joshua Gill 15:14.6 PB, Kaya Corporaal 15:44.4, Dayle Mclauchlan 16:04.0.

DUNEDIN
Otago Secondary Schools Championship, Caledonian Ground – 10/11 March 2023

Records broken: Sarah Evans U/15 500g JT 34.40m. Alexa Duff SG 500g JT 40.76m, she also had a PB 3kg SP of 12.47m. Renee Willis SG 3kg SP 13.64m, 3kg HT 46.61m PB. Jorja Gibbons SG LJ 5.42m -0.3 PB, 100m 12.23 +1.1, 200m 24.97 +0.7. Alex Walker U/14 100m 11.94 +1.3. Catherine Lund 3000m 9:47.50 PB. Lund also had a PB 1500m of 4:43.46, won by Zara Geddes in 4:43.07.

 

INTERNATIONAL RESULTS

USA INDOORS

NCAA Championships, Albuquerque NM, 10 March: Maia Ramsden mile 4:40.16 (4H2). 11 March: Maia Ramsden mile 4:36.54 (5), 3000m 9:16.99 (8).
NCAA Div II Championships, Virginia Beach VA, 10 March: Leah Belfield 200m 24.21 (2H2). Kayla Goodwin LJ 5.89m (8). Kayla Goodwin Pentathlon 4018 points PB (2) (60m H 8.83, HJ 1.68m PB, SP 10.64m, LJ 6.01m PB, 800m 2:20.41 PB). 11 March : Kayla Goodwin TJ 12.84m (3).

USA OUTDOORS

Under Armour Invitational, Arlington TX, 10 March: Jared Lautenslager 1500m 3:56.17 (1).

Ben Brown Invite/Astroai Distance Classic, Fullerton CA, 11 March: Tayla Brunger 100m 12.21 +0.9 (7).

St Paddy’s Day Dash down Greenville 5km, Dallas TX , 12 March: Craig Lautenslager 14:48 (1).

AUSTRALIA
Sydney Track Classic, Sydney Olympic Park Athletics Centre, 11 March
:

Zoe Hobbs clocked her first legal sub-11 seconds 100 metres to break the New Zealand National and Oceania records.

Hobbs beat her Australian rivals with a time of 10.97 +0.5 – a milestone that stamps her as a world-class sprinter. She bettered her record of 11.07 +1.8 set in the heats at last week’s nationals in Wellington.

In the final she entered new territory with a 10.89 +3.4 time to claim her seventh straight national title.

Hobbs was well clear finishing two-and-a-half metres clear of Torrie Lewis who recorded 11.23.

“It feels so good,” said Hobbs. “I had a little bit of a shock at the end of the race, when I saw 10.99 flash up [later rounded down] and I started celebrating, and then I thought, ‘No, wait for the wind’.

“When I heard the time and the wind was legal, I was absolutely stoked to finally dip under the 11-second mark legally.”

In the men’s 100 metres, Eddie Osei-Nketia in 10.16 -0.2 was narrowly edged by Aussie rival Rohan Browning who clocked 10.14.

Lauren Bruce hammer throw 67.34m (2), series 64.37, 67.34, 66.97, 65.08, 66.12, 65.27.

Brooke Somerfield 100m 11.73 -0.3 (3RB). Dhruv Rodrigues Chico 100m 10.37 +0.2 (1RB), Hamish Gill 10.39 (2RB). Joshua Hawkins 110m hurdles 13.72 +0.3 (4). Anna Percy 100m hurdles 13.47 +0.6 (6).

Portia Bing 400m hurdles 58.57 (2). Brad Mathas 800m 1:46.41 (4).

Women’s 4 x 100m relay New Zealand (Brooke Somerfield, Portia Bing, Anna Percy, Zoe Hobbs) 44.59 (2).

Men’s 4 x 100m relay New Zealand (Joshua Hawkins, Liam Webb, Hamish Gill, Dhruv Rodrigues Chico) 39.73 (3).

Victorian Championships, Lakeside Stadium, Albert Park, 4 March: Jemima Tennekoon 800m 2:10.80 (2H2). 5 March: Jemima Tennekoon 800m 2:09.59 PB (4).

GREAT BRITAIN
Run North West Trafford 10k, Partington, 5 March
: Georgie Grgec (Herne Hill Harriers) 32:29 PB (4).

Surrey and Sussex Indoor Championships, Carshalton South London, 5 March: Zac Topping 60m 7.07 (2H1).

 

ROAD AND TRAIL RACES AROUND THE COUNTRY                                                                                                                      

AUCKLAND 

Fox Trot 5km, Viaduct Harbour, 7 March: Jono Jackson 16:04, Steven Langdon 16:21, Harry Harris 17:09. Sophie Hogan 19:52, Christine Adamson 22:10, Bronwen Peterken 23:02.

Rat Race 5km, Takapuna, 8 March: Andy Kilding 17:40, Andrew Harvey 18:54, Joel Martin 18:55. Helen Kilding 21:11, Bridget McArthur 21:24, Becky McArthur 22:45.

YMCA 10km, Auckland Domain, 9 March: Anton Roche 38:51.

WELLINGTON
Waterfront 5km Series, 7 March: Ben Twyman 16:23, Josh Dunstan-Brown 17:31, Daniel Gardner 17:42. Amy Frankland 19:17, Darshna Govind 21:08, Kasey Mackinnon 21:14.

NELSON
Honest Lawyer 5km Series, Monaco, 6 March: Tony Phillips 18:17, Rory Dadds 19:14, Nick Lane 19:19. Ingrid Büdenbender 22:13, Ellie Beever 22:44, Chloe Quilliam 22:56.  

 

OBITUARIES
Southland children’s athletics stalwart Barbara Jenkins of Invercargill died on 6 March 2023 aged 81.

A life member of St Pauls Harrier and Athletic Club she worked tirelessly over many decades with children’s athletics.

Renowned athletic sports writer and reporter Ivan Agnew of Howick Auckland died on 6 March 2023 aged 80.

He worked for the Grey River Argus, the Greymouth Evening Star, New Zealand Herald, the Sunday News and Howick and Pakuranga Times. He travelled with Sir John Walker and Rod Dixon to Europe in 1975 and was the first to congratulate Walker on becoming history’s first sub 3:50 miler, showing him the stop watch with the time of 3:49.4. Agnew subsequently wrote the book “Kiwis Can Fly” in 1976 detailing the European campaign by Walker and Dixon.

Agnew was a Life Member of the New Zealand Sports Journalists Association.

Former administrator and official with the Glen Eden Athletics Club and Athletics Auckland Philip Bitcheno died on 14 February 2023 aged 82.

He was secretary of Athletics Auckland cross country and road committee for many years in the 1990’s and officiated at the 1990 Auckland Commonwealth Games at the walking events which were held in Devonport.

 

Murray McKinnon

Athletics New Zealand Correspondent

0274 806086

murray@mckinnon.co.nz