Athletics: Sprinter targets Glasgow Games

Kodi Harman could potentially be one of New Zealand's finest sprinters. Photo/Andrew Warner

Wearing the black singlet and sprinting down the track as fast as he can at the Commonwealth Games - and hopefully the Olympics - is the driving motivation for Tauranga's Kodi Harman.

The 19-year-old is hopeful he and his teammates, including his training partner Joseph Miller, can make the qualifying time for the 4x100 relay team for Glasgow's Commonwealth Games in July.

"We ran in Wellington last weekend and were just 0.7 off what we were supposed to run to qualify," Harman said. "Personally I was not running the best individual times so I think if the lads and myself can run a bit quicker than we did in Wellington and nail the changes, we should be able to do it."

Harman's best time for the 100m is 10.42, behind good mate Miller's record of 10.32.

"As a sprinter I would be happy with something in the 10.0's before I gave it up, and 20.3 or 20.4 or something around there for the 200. You just never know so I take it as it comes, do my best and hope that the results follow.

"The New Zealand standard at the moment for Olympics and Comm Games is 10.17 for the A standard, and 10.21 is the B standard, and 20.5 for the 200 A standard. At this stage I am a bit off for an individual but there are exciting times ahead.

"The key is to put the time in, be smart, stay injury free, and I guess every day you are on the track you are getting better. But you have to find other ways to keep progressing as well."

Harman has also made more than a slight dent on the sand competing at surf lifesaving events.

The Papamoa club guard won the New Zealand and Australian open men's beach sprint titles in 2012 and last year he won the junior title in Australia. "As well as making the NZ under-20 Rescue team for the worlds in 2012, which I had to pull out of due to a stress fracture in my pelvis, they were the highlights of my surf lifesaving career," he said.

"I have definitely thought about having to give one of the sports up but at this stage none of it clashes so I don't see a problem for me doing both. As long as that carries on I will keep doing both but eventually I will just branch off into athletics."

Coach Kerry Hill says Harman's times aged 18 are quicker than all other New Zealand sprinters and with the time gap between now and the Rio Olympics, he thinks the chances of Harman improving enough to reach that target are realistic. "When you look at talent, he is quite a special case. He has a really good head on him, a great attitude internally in terms of his work ethic, his humility and his consistency. These are the things that bring out the physical talent he has. That is what the elite have got."