Athletics: Whanganui's unique season ends with strong performances

World-class Masters athlete Sally Gibbs has returned to live in her home town Whanganui. Photo / Rowan Greig

Last week's club night on March 29 brought down the curtain on the local athletic season, a season very different to any in the past.

The first club night was held on Tuesday, October 19, 2021, and over the season there have been 19. We were fortunate with weather with only one wet night and just a few where wind affected performances, whereas on Mondays the children were less fortunate with some weather cancellations.

This season was, however, very different with club nights held under five very different regulations as we moved through alert level 2, to red traffic light requirements, to orange and back to red and finally, for the last week, to modified red.

Nationally, the New Zealand and North Island Schools titles were cancelled, the Classic Meets were all held under differing regulations and Whanganui Schools was held with separate event group bubbles. The nationals were held over four days under strict grade bubbles. If it was confusing for athletes and supporters, try being an organiser or an official. Despite the many setbacks, athletes demonstrated adaptability and resilience and a glance at both the Athletics New Zealand and our own rankings reveal many outstanding and exciting performances.

The final club night, held in perfect early autumn conditions, was an opportunity for some of the younger athletes to try a different event, with middle-distance runners sprinting and sprinters having a run in the 1000 metres. Although late-season numbers were down, nevertheless there were 100 recorded performances on that final night.

Dominic Bingle added a whole metre to his triple jump best with a promising 11.44m leap. Toby Caro, who has set personal bests all season in so many events, stepped down to 400m to run his best-ever one lap in 58.20. Later in the evening he accompanied world-class Masters athlete Sally Gibbs in the 2000m. Gibbs, raised and educated in Whanganui, has returned to live here. At the World Masters in Malaga in 2018, Gibbs came home with three gold medals in the 55-59 age group, following two golds and three silvers two years earlier in Perth in the 50-54 grade. It is wonderful to have an athlete of her calibre back in Whanganui.

A week earlier at the penultimate club night, again in perfect conditions, six of the seven finishers in an invitation schools' 1500m set personal bests.

The invitation event was held at the conclusion of the regular programme scheduled for 8.05pm start. This was brought forward as the threatening skies darkened with distant peals of thunder as a drum roll introduction for the athletes. The still humid conditions were perfect for middle-distance running. One observer mentioned the conditions reminded him of the famous night when Peter Snell broke the world record at Cooks Gardens.

The pacemakers did their job, especially for the second group of athletes in the field. However, event winner Daniel Sinclair was left on his own after a very fast first lap. Sinclair, who has had limited competition this calendar year, held his nerve and did not panic, allowing the pace to drop closer to his schedule, and was rewarded by going under 4 minutes for the first time (3:58.71) to go to second in the New Zealand under-18 rankings. Toby Caro (4:14.71) set yet another personal best. Sinclair's brother Matthew was next home followed by Oliver Jones, providing excellent competition for Louise Brabyn to set a four-second best (4:37.49). Amy McHardy was less than two seconds off her best with young Greta Darke taking three seconds off her best, confirming the excellence of Cooks Gardens for evening middle-distance racing.

The season may be over for most New Zealand athletes but for one group it ended in Sydney at the Australian Championships, which finished last Sunday. New Zealand athletes won eight gold medals, five silver medals and 10 bronze medals. These included bronze for former Cullinane College 800m runner Brad Mathas, now resident in Melbourne.

The New Zealand women sprinters excelled in Sydney. They won all three sprint finals and ended the championships by winning the 4 x 100m relay with a New Zealand national record (44.05). The team was Livvy Wilson, Rosie Elliot, Georgia Hulls and Zoe Hobbs.

Hobbs, who as mentioned last week so narrowly missed the World Indoor Championship 60m final, won the Australian title to add to her New Zealand title with another outstanding performance (11.17). On the same day, Isabel Neal won the 400m in 52.8, with Elliot taking the bronze. The following day Hulls won the 200m in a personal best 23.17 into a slight head wind.

A wonderful end to the season for an outstanding group of Kiwi sprinters.