Athletics: Maples family win big at Jennian Homes New Zealand Track & Field Championships

Jonathan Maples won the senior men's 400 metre hurdle race. Photo / Supplied

There was a smile on many faces of Whanganui athletes after the Jennian Homes New Zealand Track & Field Championships at the weekend (reported in Wednesday's Chronicle).

The Maples family perhaps had the broadest smiles of all with Ohakea-based Jonathan winning his maiden New Zealand senior title in the 400 metre hurdles and sister Lexi, 22, now competing for Canterbury returning with two bronze medals in the senior women's shot and hammer, setting personal bests in both.

Jonathan missed considerable training after a hamstring injury at the final Regional League in early December. He ran at the home Cooks Classic at the end of January winning the mixed 400m hurdles and also had a run over 200m days later at the Capital Classic in Wellington. Air Force duties meant he was unable to run at the MWA Championships so he travelled to Hastings short of competition. Although his gold medal win at the weekend was marginally slower than in Whanganui, he hurdled smoothly over all 10 barriers to win by a wide margin and lacked the close competition conducive to fast times. Maples made the 200m final but limped home after injuring the other hamstring.

Lexi's move to throwing from heptathlon to throwing has brought rewards for this hard-working athlete. In the hammer she threw twice past her previous personal best to throw 56.67 almost two metres beyond her previous best, repeating her bronze of last year. In the shot, her improvement was even greater beating her Cooks Classic previous best performance of 12.46 to 13.21 (her first 13m put) for bronze.

Maggie Jones, last year's under-18 300m hurdle champion, moved up a grade and a distance to win the 400m hurdles in a personal best 1:04.34. Jones added a silver in the under-20 100m hurdles the following day. Jones had Whanganui company with Paige Cromarty finishing second in a personal best 1:06.48. for the 400m (pictured in Wednesday's Chronicle). The value of regularly including hurdles at club nights was highlighted by Flynn Johnston taking silver in the under-20 400-metre hurdles. Johnston also ran in the bronze medal-winning under-20 4 x 400 where he joined three Palmerston North runners. Pascale Bowie and Teniva Guinea did not reach the 300m hurdles A final but returned with personal bests.

Louise Brabyn, 15, had a memorable championships where she came of age as a strong middle-distance prospect. In the under-18 3000m, she fell twice and finished with the grazes to prove it. Brabyn picked herself on both occasions and fought back to join the race leaders ending with her first track medal in third position in 10:08 22 (18 seconds faster than her previous best). The following day Brabyn confirmed why she is the leader in the 2000m steeplechase rankings. She ran from the front to finish in 7:11.55 just a smidgeon below her best set at the MWA Championships. Her smooth running and ability to pick herself off the deck highlighted her potential.

Jacky Dai once again proved his ability to produce results when it matters. He has battled a shin injury and did well to jump a calendar-year best of 12.70 to take bronze in the under-20 triple jump. No jumps are even more disappointing when carrying an injury. The run-up problem was highlighted in the long jump with five consecutive fouls. Dai has only Whanganui Schools left this season next week and then has time to rehabilitate for next season for an attack on a New Zealand Schools podium place.

The other Whanganui medal came from Bella Willis in the 4 x 400m who overcame her disappointment in the individual 400m, where she came 8th by returning with a silver 4 x 400 under-18 with three Palmerston North-based athletes.

Lexi Maples was not the only former Whanganui athlete to mount the podium. Josh Ledger (Wellington) was third in the senior men's 400m while Max Attwell (Canterbury) took bronze in the long jump and pole vault. Attwell and Ledger ran in the winning Whanganui Collegiate 4 x 400 team in 2014 while a third member of the team Geordie Beamish won a 1500m in San Juan Capistrano in a personal best 3:36.53 as he prepares for the World Indoors.

Our young middle-distance runners appear to be inspired by Beamish. In Hastings James Hercus finished with two bests including his first sub 2-minute 800m (6th) and in the 1500m metres while Toby Caro, who has another year in the under 18 grade, took 18 seconds off his best in the 3000m for 11th (8:53.14).