Shot putters and pole vaulters to dominate Sir Graeme Douglas International

New Zealands star athletes Tom Walsh, Dame Valerie Adams and Eliza McCartney will have their last hit-outs before the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games this Sunday at the Sir Graeme Douglas International Track Challenge in West Auckland.

Walsh, the current world outdoor and indoor champion will compete against a top class international field of competitors from USA, Canada, Jamaica, Poland and Australia, including the two other medallists from the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, ODayne Richards and Tim Nedow.

Walsh has had two big wins from the first two shot put competitions of the series in Timaru and Christchurch last week and will be very keen to keep a clean sheet in the run-up to the 2018 Commonwealth Games where he will go in as favourite.

Also in the mens shot put will be former two-times World Indoor Champion Ryan Whiting (USA), 22.00m thrower Konrad Bukowiecki (Poland) and Australian record holder Damien Birkinhead.

The womens shot put will be headlined by twice Olympic gold medallist Dame Valerie Adams, on a comeback for the Commonwealth Games after the birth of her daughter in October.

Canadas Brittany Crew, who beat Dame Valerie 18.42m to 18.06m last Friday in Christchurch will be in the field, along with another from the Canadian Games team, Taryn Suttie and American Brittany Smith.

Kiwi Torie Owers, third behind Crew and Adams at Fridays Big Shot in Christchurch will also compete on Sunday.

Dame Valerie will be keen to make further improvements to go into the Gold Coast Games with a longer throw behind her.

Dame Valerie will be competing with her sister Lisa Adams who has recently taken up athletics and won the Para athletics shot put and discus titles at the recent New Zealand Championships.

It will be the first time that the two sisters have competed together and will be a special occasion for both. Dame Valerie has provided Lisa with some invaluable advice recently.

Pole Vaulter Eliza McCartney drew a big crowd on Sunday for the SKYCITY Vertical Pursuit on Federal Street in central Auckland - and she wowed the enthusiastic spectators, clearing an amazing 4.90m, the seventh highest womens vault of all time.

The Rio 2016 bronze medallist is in excellent form heading into her first Commonwealth Games and is keen to improve on her NZ record of 4.82m in an official competition before too long.

Joining her in the womens pole will be Canadians Alysha Newman and Anicka Newell, on their way to the Commonwealth Games, while Morgan Leleux (USA) makes up the internationals and they will be joined by 17 year old Imogen Ayris, winner of the New Zealand senior womens title two weeks ago in Hamilton.

The two Kiwis McCartney and Ayris both jumped outstandingly underneath the Sky Tower on Sunday clearing heights better than their previous bests.

The mens pole vault will feature Canadian Deryk Theodore and Kiwi Nick Southgate who will together be competing on the Gold Coast in three weeks. Both have personal bests above 5.40m so will be well matched.

Joining them will be Kiwis James Steyn and Ettiene Du Preez, New Zealand championship medallists.

Following the shot put and pole vault competitions will be a series of track races from 100m to 800m for men and women and the annual John Walker junior mile race.

The Sir Graeme Douglas International Track Challenge will be the final meeting of the Athletics NZ International Series, consisting of four meetings in Timaru, Christchurch, Auckland and Waitakere.

The meeting at Douglas Track and Field on Central Park Drive in Henderson gets under way at 1:30pm on Sunday.

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