Briana Stephenson now NZ number 1 senior women’s heptathlete

Kiwi heptathlete Aliyah Johnson (from left) with Matt Wyatt (coach) and silver medalist Briana Stephenson at the Queensland Combined Events Champs in Brisbane last month.

Former Waipukurau resident and athlete Briana Stephenson has brought home silver in her first senior women’s heptathlon of season 2023-24.

She travelled to Brisbane last month and competed in the Queensland combined events championships as a New Zealand exhibition athlete.

Despite temperatures as high as 36C, Stephenson started strongly in the 100 metre hurdles. Her time of 13.74s (wind 2.0) slashed her previous recent personal best (PB) of 14.07s.

The eventual overall winner, Queensland and Australia’s Camryn Newton-Smith, 23, was just ahead of Stephenson, with 13.45s. Newton-Smith would go on to amass a whopping 6050 points for the gold. However, her battle with Stephenson was intense as Stephenson soundly beat the Australian in the 200m and 800m.

A healthy score in high jump of 1.71m by Stephenson kept her in second place ahead of the shot put, which took place as thunder and lightning flashed violently nearby and some heavy rain fell. She lost points there and struggled with the 4kg ball.

Stephenson ran a season-best (SB) 200m with 24.25s (wind 2.4), over a wet, heavy track. She had scored a 200+ points PB after day 1.

Operating off a short run up for long jump because she was trying a new technique, worked as she jumped 5.74m (wind 1.3). Another SB.

Javelin was satisfactory with her last throw landing 35.17m, 55cm off a PB.

Strong headwinds on the back straight for the 800m had joined the athletes but Stephenson still decided to go out hard from the start. A risky decision that paid off, as she never looked like losing, running 2:19.96 just 0.17s off a PB.

Stephenson had compiled 5534 points (a PB) in her seven events, over two scorching days to gain silver.

Her previous PB was a modest 5150 points. She is now ranked No 1 New Zealand senior women’s heptathlete and eighth-best in the history of women’s heptathlon after five competitions.