Athletics: Nat Kirk a strong prospect for December championships

Nat Kirk on the way to the podium as a Junior in 2019. Photo / Supplied

Nat Kirk was a late addition to the Whanganui team in Hastings at the weekend. He demonstrated that he has got over his Term 1 injury and, six weeks out from New Zealand Secondary Schools, he is looking like a strong prospect for December.

Only a very small group of Whanganui athletes travelled to Hastings at the weekend for the opening round of the Regional League as there was a clash with the Whanganui Collegiate prizegiving and the return of the popular Hunterville Shemozzle.

The opening regional meeting six weeks before New Zealand Secondary Schools is always the smallest of the three meetings. The round alternates between Inglewood and Hastings and for most teams in the Lower North Island, both venues present long journeys.

Encouragingly there were a few more competitors in Hasting than in Inglewood last year. A huge increase is expected for the second round in the central location of the community track at Massey University, Palmerston North, on November 12.

Kirk, who missed most of Term 1 with a broken collar bone was first in action, winning his 110m hurdles in 15.13 into a slight headwind- the only one of the day. Although slightly slower than his wind-aided run the previous Tuesday in Whanganui, Kirk looked smooth over the hurdles to win by a very wide margin.

Later Kirk ran over the 300 metre hurdles in a mixed race as he was the only male runner. He had a perfect rhythm over the seven flights of hurdles and stopped the clock at 40.18. Kirk thought he had run faster as the trackside clock showed 39 seconds. It is clear that he will run even faster in the build-up to New Zealand Schools. Kirk rounded off an impressive day by winning the javelin with a personal best of 54.18m.

Paige Cromarty also looked better than her time over 300m hurdles. She was smooth over the barriers but like Kirk missed good competition and her early season 49.51 was almost two seconds faster than her closest competitor. Cromarty later finished second in her 200m heat with the sixth fastest women's time of the afternoon.

Promising middle-distance runner James Hercus will have learned much from his 1500m. In a strong wind he acted as the perfect pacemaker for New Zealand Junior Champion Karsen Vesty. Hercus took Vesty through almost three laps at a pace that was many seconds faster than Hercus' personal best time. The wheels dropped off over the final 300m with Hercus drifting back to third. More lessons are learned in defeat than victory.

On Tuesday evening Hercus took on an official pacemaking role, taking his cousin Daniel Sinclair through 1000m right on the prearranged schedule. Sinclair ran the remaining 500m on his own to record a sub 4-minute effort (3:59.54). Sinclair has had an outstanding start to his season with a sub two-minute 800m a week earlier. I can't remember any previous collegiate athlete achieving these marks in the first two races of a new season. Oliver Jones should be delighted by his three-second personal best in second place (4:33.64).

It was a night where athletes assisted others towards targeted performances. Travis Bayler running inside Damian Hodgson helped Hodgson to a pleasing best of 38.49 and Toby Caro helped Louise Brabyn through to an encouraging 4:47 .83 in the 1500m.

In the absence of more experienced athletes, it was a chance for younger athletes to shine in Hastings. Whanganui Collegiate Year 9 athlete Juliet McKinlay, who lives in Palmerston North and remains registered with her home Manawatū Club, won her 80m hurdles (13.98) and was fourth in the women's long jump with an encouraging 4.79m and fourth in the triple jump (10.03m). She was allowed to run for Whanganui and combined with Cromarty, Greta Darke and Morgan Wilson in the 4 x 100m coming second to a Kapiti/Mana combination.

Darke ran well for third in the 1500m, finishing in 5:17.93 with her strong finish overtaking three athletes in the run for home hinting at better things to come. Just over an hour later she finished eighth in the 800m, slightly bettering her time from club night four days earlier and again finished fast. This rising middle-distance athlete who boards at Whanganui Collegiate and lives in the King Country has the determination and background that could produce rapid progress. Darke ran her first 400m at Tuesday's Club night winning in an encouraging 1:04.48.

Tuesday's club night ended with a spirited Swedish relay (100m, 3000m, 200m, 400m) with nine teams made up of all age groups participating. Team Bayler were the winners of this inclusive event.