Alec McNab's Athletics Insight: Trains, boats and planes - what a trip

Alec McNab was able to enjoy golden moments from Tom Walsh and more. Photo / Getty Images

After boarding 47 trains, 21 ferries and 52 days away it is good to be back in New Zealand. In that time, I landed on 11 islands, visited Scotland, Wales and England, and saw five days of Commonwealth Games action in glorious weather.

Things seem to get back to normal very fast on return. It has been good to catch up with athletes at training rather than receiving texts and WhatsApp calls. By the time this goes to press I will have farewelled the three Adelaide-bound athletes who will be competing in the Australian Championships at the weekend.

I have had a number of meetings and many phone calls about the forthcoming season and, more immediately, we only have 10 days until the 42nd Round the Lake Relay which returns after being Covid-cancelled in 2021 and 2020. I will preview the relay next week. The relay is at Virginia Lake on Monday, September 5.

I was fortunate to have two teams to support at the Commonwealth Games. I was able to enjoy golden moments from Hamish Kerr and Tom Walsh for New Zealand and those of Laura Muir and Eilish McGolgan from Scotland. I have found it interesting to compare the Scottish and New Zealand track and field performances from Birmingham.

Both countries are similar in terms of population. Scotland has a very slightly larger population with 5,483,000 compared to New Zealand's 5,127,100. Scotland was slightly ahead on the track and field medal table, winning two golds, two silver medals and four bronzes as opposed to New Zealand's two of each colour.

However, one of Scotland's silver medals and one bronze were from para-athletes, including Samantha Kinghorn's bronze in a thrilling 1500-metre wheelchair, reported on in a previous column. However, not all para events were included in Birmingham with the hosts deciding which para events were on the programme.

The choice of events for Birmingham did not include events where New Zealand won medals at the Olympics last year which meant that it was not an even playing field. Scotland also gained a fortunate bronze medal in the women's 4 x 400 after England which had crossed the line first were disqualified. With the para events out of this equation, both countries would have won six medals.

I am disappointed on returning to New Zealand that the media focus has been on who was not selected for track and field rather than the successes of New Zealand athletes. Many of the comments have ignored the fact it was NZOC philosophy, not Athletic New Zealand's, that athletes selected in individual events had to be shown to be capable of finishing in the top six and teams of finishing with a medal, with the quota of athletes set at 18.

The early final qualifying time set by NZOC further complicated things. Hopefully, there will be a continued dialogue between NZOC and national sports bodies, and clearer messaging. Certainly, the increase of team sports at the Commonwealth Games has added problems in terms of quotas set to fit in with venue logistics and the large team groups.

The New Zealand track and field team of 17 athletes produced six medals and a further six finished in the top six. Three more reached the final with Portia Bing finishing seventh in the 400-metre hurdles, Connor Bell eighth in the discus and Nicole Bradley ninth in the hammer and thus just missing three additional throws in that final and the opportunity to improve her placing.

Only two of the team did not manage a place in a final and one of them, Lauren Bruce, who holds the Cooks Gardens hammer stadium record, had one of those days recording three no throws and failed to qualify for the final. Bruce, who had an outstanding domestic season, was expected to win a medal.

Many personal bests are set in competition under ideal conditions and in distance events, often with a pacemaker. It was pleasing that the team of 2022 produced many when it mattered and performed up to and above expectations.

We have been fortunate to see almost all the New Zealand athletes at Cooks Gardens in recent years. Julia Ratcliffe, second in the hammer in Birmingham, and the two pole vaulters, Imogen Ayris and Olivia McTaggart, being exceptions. Ratcliffe, however, did set a New Zealand Schools record at Cooks Gardens back in 2014.

New Zealand medal winners Hamish Kerr and Jacko Gill hold recent stadium records and fifth-placed Tori Peeters set the stadium record in javelin in January. We hope that most of our successful Birmingham athletes will be at Cooks Gardens in January for the next edition of the Pak'nSave Cooks Classic.