Athletics NZ weekly roundup 4 July 2016

TAUPO

North Island Cross Country Championships, Spa Thermal Park - 2 July 2016

Jono Jackson is pleased to get a cross country win when he can at the North Island championships.

"Im an expert in the past getting second or third so its good to get a win when I can," he said.

Jackson, who was second in 2013, first in 2014 and third last year, went out early in the 9km race over three laps of a demanding hilly course. He ran a solid race and held on well to win in 28:51, 15 seconds ahead of fast finishing Peter Wheeler. Harry Ewing after a convincing win in Auckland the previous week in the juniors opted to step up to the seniors on this occasion and finished third in 29:19.

Jackson said it was a nice tough race.

"I wasnt planning to go from the start but it was a bit pedestrian through the first k so I thought I may as well just make it a long tough race and I got a gap that I had to keep. Peter (Wheeler) had a smart race and came through in the last lap so I was just trying to keep him at bay," he said.

"I love this course its never muddy its always hard and the surface is firm and it ends up almost like a hill race because you are just going up and down the hills with the front half of the course more or of a track race. It suits the jack of all trades which is kind of what I am," he added.

"I was a bit worried about Dougal because he is such an animal on the hills. He was there for the first lap and then faded away in the next two laps."

The win is a bit of a stepping stone for Jackson towards the national championship.

"This year it is a bit wide open because you dont have the likes of Hicksy and Matty B here so hopefully the Christchurch guys come up and with the good Wellington and Auckland guys well have a good tussle up front."

Womens cross country has suddenly received a boost with the return of Laura Nagel from the States.

Nagel went straight to front from the start of the womens 5km and gave an effortless display of running. The 24 year old from Napier finished fresh in 17:53 with Ashleigh Williams second in 18:11 and 5000m bronze medallist from the March nationals Jean Kozyniak third in 18:16.

Nagel, the 2008 New Zealand women 16 road champion, found racing cross country a bit strange after a break of some time since her last race.

"The last time I raced cross country was the NCAA three years ago and we dont really do hills much in cross country courses in the States and I thought this is going to be tough, but Im confident in how my training has been going with Ray Treacy still coaching me, which is amazing," said Nagel.

"I finished my scholarship at Providence two years ago and then I went on to get my masters and I just got back two weeks ago after six years in the States.

"The athletic scholarship was definitely worth doing," she added.

Nagel is now aiming for the nationals in Auckland next month.

"Im now just looking for a job and hopefully stay in sports and keep on running I wont be giving that up."

Hannah OConnor for the second year in a row set a race record on the Taupo course. Last year she set a girls 14 record of 10:42 for the 3km and this year she ran out a clear winner of the combined under 18 and under 20 4km in an under 18 record of 14:17. The New Zealand secondary schools junior champion headed in the secondary schools senior champion Tessa Webb by 36 seconds with Tessa Hunt third in 15:02.

OConnor said that she likes to go out fast from the start.

"Thats normally how I run, I just go fast out and then just keep going, but 4k was a bit of a shock, I normally just run 3k, but it was good," she said.

Isaiah Priddey bounced back from his disappointing run of seventh at the secondary schools championship to also win the combined under 18 and under 20 5km in 16:06.

Priddey said that he ran a more tactical race than he did two weeks ago.

"It was a completely different race tactically and it shows that tactics really do make a difference and I think thats what I struggled with at national schools and I did my tactics a bit better this time," he said.

"We went up the first hill and it was feeling really fast, but my legs werent as tight as they usually are so I was feeling good and I thought with 2ks to go we were moving a bit slower and there was going to be a tight finish with everyone sprinting but for some reason I just felt really good today and was able to pull away from the pack and Im happy with that," he added.

Hayden Wilde in the under 20 division was second in 16:14 with Angus White, runner up in the schools championship, third overall in 16:16.

Sally Gibbs won the master womens 5km in 19:25 and Carolyn Smith led in the W55 division in 21:47. Stephen Day was a clear winner in the master men 6km in 20:06 and Dallas McCallum was equally convincing in the 50 plus masters in 21:50. Charli Miller, schools year nine champion, set a record of 10:40 in the girls 14 3km, breaking OConnors record of last year by two seconds.

Other winners were Finlay Seeds in the boys 14, Aidan Chesney in the boys 12, Quinn Boyle in the boys 10, Sophie Spencer in the girls 12 and Kylah Gunn in the girls 10.

AUCKLAND

Throws Winter Series, AUT Millennium Institute - 2 July 2016

Connor Bell sent the 1.5kg discus out to a personal best 52.66m. Anthony Nobilo secured a personal best of 44.61m with the 7.26kg hammer. He also threw 50.82m with the 6kg and 61.16m with the 5kg hammers. Brent Newdick 2kg discus throw 44.34m. Amber Brown had a personal best of 38.62m in the 1kg discus and she also recorded 51.30m with the 3kg hammer. Jayden Williamson 1kg DT 40.19m, 3kg HT 41.99m PB.

AUSTRALIA

Gold Coast Marathon - 3 July 2016

Paul Martelletti finished 13th in 2:18:57, Dave Ridley a three minute personal best 2:26:21 in 21st, Tony Payne ran 2:33:10 in 29th, James Kuegler was 59th in 2:43:22. Katie Kemp was seventh woman and 51st overall in a PB 2:40:05, Victoria Beck PB 2:43:36 in eighth and 62nd, Alice Mason also a PB of 2:45:19 in ninth and 69th. In the half marathon New Zealand representatives in the Oceania championship Aaron Pulford was 13th overall in 1:07:22 and Rowan Marie Torckler was fourth in the womens in 1:14:40. In 2008 Torckler ran 1:14:01 at Gold Coast. Tom Moyes ran a PB 1:09:38 in 23rd and Dale Warrander 1:16:49 in 84th.

In the 10km Wayne Guest was 37th in 32:49.

IRELAND

65th Cork City Sports, 28 June: Nikki Hamblin 3000m 9:07.55 (1), an hour later 800m 2:09.98 (3). Eric Speakman 3000m 7:58.85 a 10 seconds PB (3).

SWEDEN

Folksam Grand Prix, Sollentuna, 28 June: Elizabeth lamb HJ 1.80m (7).

FRANCE

Halluin, 29 June: Malcolm Hicks 3000m 8:09.13 (1).

FINLAND

Paavo Nurmi Games, Turku, 29 June: Angie Petty 1500m 4:07.83 PB (2), betters her 4:08.54 in Ireland a year ago, and remains at number five on the New Zealand womans all-time list. Michael Cochrane 400m H 50.35 (7rA). Nneka Okpala TJ 13.30m (+0.4) (4).

GERMANY

Wiesbaden, 29 June: Brad Mathas 800m 1:48.19 (4).

BELGIUM

Grote Prijs Stad Lokeren, 3 July: Michael Cochrane 400m H 50.97 (3). Brad Mathas 800m 1:49.57 (7r2), Camille Buscomb mile 4:37.68 PB (1), a six second improvement on her time at Cooks Garden Wanganui in January 2013. Elizabeth Lamb HJ 1.85m meet record (1).

Flanders Cup Combined Events, Nieuwpoort, 2/3 July: Veronica Torr heptathlon 5823 points.

- This story has been automatically published using a media release from Athletics New Zealand