NZ U20 3000m championships preview

Hannah OConnor of Egmont Athletics should comfortably retain her womens under 20 3000m title to be run at the Cooks Classic meeting at Cook Gardens Wanganui on Tuesday evening.

OConnor will take up her usual front running tactics and it will be just a matter of how fast she can go. At the night of 5s meeting in Auckland just before Christmas OConnor ran her personal best of 9:28.01, which is knocking on the door of the New Zealand under 17 record of 9:17.58 set by Kara Macderrmid in Palmerston North three years ago.

The battle for the other two places on the podium will be between Phoebe McKnight, Charli Miller and Tessa Webb. McKnight was second to OConnor in both the youth and junior championships last season and has a best of 9:39.56. Miller has a best of 9:55.60 and Webb second to OConnor in the under 18 road championship has run 9:57.47.

James Uhlenberg will be wanting to break his string of minor placings with a gold in the mens under 20 championship. Uhlenberg proved his class at the 2015 Oceania Youth championships winning the 800m and 1500m as well as taking the silver in the 3000m. He has a best of 8:20.01 from fourth place in the outstanding secondary schools race in early December.

Chasing Uhlenberg will be Jared Lautenslager, Angus White, Christian Conder and Angus White the 2015 youth champion.

The Cooks Classic meeting focus will be on the iconic mile race, the men's shot put where Olympic Finalist Jacko Gill will be competing and the javelin where Ben Langton-Burnell will be aiming to become the third New Zealander to throw over 80m.

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