Once again, Wesche (Lynfield College, Auckland 2013 - 2017) achieved a personal best under extreme pressure. She had led for most of the competition, relinquishing once mid-competition to quickly regain, losing only in the penultimate throw. In the qualifying round Wesche qualified with her second throw so, although in the words of our TV commentators, it was not “one and done”, it was “two and through” with a 19.25m effort to qualify second.
Kerr thrilled us with his win in the jump-off with Shelby McEwen (United States): one additional jump at 2.38m, a failure for both at 2.36m, both having cleared it earlier to necessitate the jump-off. Kerr then cleared 2.34m. McEwen failed, leaving Kerr as New Zealand’s first high jump Olympic champion.
Success for 27-year-old Kerr follows years of work and the input of many, starting with supportive parents. Former New Zealand middle distance runner Geoff Shaw coached him at Auckland Grammar School and subsequent coaches were Paul Lothian, Brent Booker, Anne Thompson (during Kerr’s year at Massey University), Terry Lomax and James Sandilands. All have contributed to that gold medal and provided “small blocks in the Olympic journey”.
Kerr gave us all anxiety with two failures at a low height in qualifying and again his two failures in the final (2.32m) before first-time clearances at 2.34m and at 2.36m (equalling his New Zealand record set when winning the World Indoor Championships). Kerr’s coolness under pressure and the nature of his win was an Olympic highlight.
Kerr holds the Cooks Gardens record, having broken his own record over three successive years. The Cooks Gardens women’s record was also set by a Paris medal winner. Australian Nicola Olyslagers (nee McDermott) set the women’s record in 2015 with a jump of 1.83m at the start of her illustrious career. Olyslagers’ silver came with a 2m jump. We hope to see great high jumping at the 2025 Pak’nSave Cooks Classic on, hopefully, a new landing bed replacing our current dated equipment. This will be a major fundraising project in the weeks ahead.
Last week I noted the narrow margins and the global nature of the sport. Of the 205 countries competing in Paris, 200 had athletes in track and field. There were gold medals from 27 different countries and medals were won by 43 countries. New Zealand was a highly creditable 14th of the competing countries, a component of New Zealand’s most successful Olympics finishing 11th in the medal table (10 golds, seven silvers and three bronzes). Alongside the two track and field medals, New Zealand had two finalists in the men’s shot final (Jacko Gill was seventh, having finished ninth in his two previous Olympics), and three in the women’s pole vault.
Injury had a significant impact on the team. George Beamish’s post-race MRI revealed the problem that had plagued his build-up and now ends his season. Sam Tanner, James Preston and Tom Walsh had significant injuries and Eliza McCartney’s injury problems continued, her sixth place an indication of what might have been.
Connor Bell missed a place in the final on countback and Zoe Hobbs missed a place in the 100m by a small margin; a pity she had been overlooked by NZOC for Tokyo where Olympic experience would have been invaluable. Mia Ramsden, 22, impressed in her semifinal in the 1500m, breaking her own New Zealand record. Nineteen-year-old triple jumper Ethan Olivier, although well back in the field, will have gained invaluable experience for the future, starting with the World Junior Championships this month where he leads the rankings.
