New Zealand sprinter Joseph Millar competing in the mens 100m. Photo / Photosport
Joseph Millar broke both long-standing 100m and 200m sprint records at the New Zealand Track and Field championships held at Hamilton's Porritt Stadium.
The 24-year-old from Papamoa became the fastest Kiwi on home turf, taking out the men's 100m in 10.18s on Friday and the 200m in a sizzling 20.37s.
His 100m time of was not just a personal best time, eclipsing his 10.24s recorded in Canberra last week, but also lopped almost a tenth of a second off Chris Donaldson's 10.27s resident mark, set 18 years ago on the same straight at Hamilton's Porritt Stadium.
Yesterday he blitzed the field in the 200m final to win in 20.37 to set the fastest time in New Zealand athletic history and break the record of 20.42 set by Donaldson way back in 1997.
Millar beat his PB of 20.68 - also clocked last week across the Tasman - and has qualified for the world champs by going under the qualifying mark of 20.44.
Miller's 100m time leaves him still short of automatic qualifying for this year's IAAF world championships in London (10.12), but does put him within the Athletics NZ "B" threshold (10.20), effectively a foot in the door.
"I knew from the first step that I was moving," he said.
"I knew I was out in front of everyone and then just put it down, tried to really focus on good mechanics - feeling light, but feeling powerful.
"I just knew once I was across the line that was over a lot quicker than other races."
But the path to his achievement, also his fourth national 100m title in six years, was not nearly as smooth as his acceleration once the gun sounded.
Hoping for ideal sprinting conditions, Millar arrived at the track for morning heats to find slight headwinds prevailing. He duly progressed with the fastest preliminary time of 10.75s, but not without further challenges at the start-line.
When his blocks began slipping during warm-ups, Millar was allowed to have someone stand on them as an anchor.
But when that problem persisted in the build-up to the final, this time, officials wouldn't permit outside assistance and Millar had spare blocks piled up behind him in an effort to steady his take-off.
"It's not the first time I've had issues with blocks," he said. "I was actually really happy in the heats that they were so accommodating.
"Then to turn up to the final and find that, I had to flip it and use it to my advantage - getting pissed off was the best thing.
"Some people wouldn't have liked it, but I turned it into a positive."
Millar got an inkling this might be his night when the breeze - what there was of it - turned to a tail for the women's final immediately before his race. Auckland Zoe Hobbs scooted to 11.57s, not far off her best (11.53s) and the women's resident record (11.52s).
"When Zoe ran through and I heard her time, I thought 'cool, we might be on for something today'."
Women
100m: Zoe Hobbs (Auckland) 11.57s 1, Kelsey Berryman (Canterbury) 11.93s 2, Rochelle Coster (Auckland) 12.01s 3.
3000m walk: Lauran Langley (Hawke's Bay Gisborne) 13m 36.76s 1, Rozie Robinson (Canterbury) 13m 59.29s 2, Erin Talcott (International) 14m 06.97s 3.
Discus throw: Te Rina Keenan (Auckland) 56.51m 1, Siositina Hakeai (Auckland) 55.04m 2, Lauren Bruce (Canterbury) 45.77m 3.
5000m: Laura Nagel (Hawke's Bay Gisborne) 16m 04.45s 1, Olivia Burne (Auckland) 16m 24,79s 2, Jean Kosyniak (Wellington) 17m 24.34s 3.
U20 Women
100m: Lucy Sheat (Tasman) 11.96s 1, Georgia Hulls (Hawke's Bay Gisborne) 11.97s 2, Emma Hopcroft (Southland) 12.57s 3.
5000m: Phoebe McKnight (Wellington) 16m 28.43s 1, Sammy Burke (Otago) 17n 16.46s 2, Katherine Badham (Auckland) 17m 19.59s 3.
Shot Put: Maddison Wesche (Auckland) 15.13m 1, Mellata Tatola (Auckland) 13.02m 2, Emma Ryan (Southland) 11.82m 3.
Javelin: Vaimiti Marii (Tahiti) 41.29m 1, Caitlin Bonne (Canterbury) 36.80m 2, Sofia Hewitt (Auckland) 35.11m 3.
Long jump: Emma Hopcroft (Southland) 5.79m 1, Ashleigh Bennett (Taranaki) 5.75m 2, Atipa Mabonga (Southland) 5.71m 3.
U18 Women
100m: Maia Broughton (Canterbury) 12.49s 1, Sofia Lome (Auckland) 12.49s 2, Leah Belfield (Waikato BOP) 12.61s 3.
3000m: Hannah O'Connor (Taranaki) 9m 30.74s 1, Phoebe McKnight (Wellington) 9m 38.49s 2, Charli Miller (Waikato BOP) 9m 48.03s 3
3000m walk: Hannah Gilberd (Taranaki) 17m 17.16s 1, Laura Kehely (Taranaki) 17m 30.94s 2
Javelin: Catilin Bonne (Canterbury) 41.66m 1, Vaimiti Marii (Tahiti) 41.12m 2, Savannah Scheen (Auckland) 39.33m 3.
High Jump: Olivia Burnham (Canterbury) 1.66m 1, Imogen Shelton (Wellington) 1.66m 2, Sofia Utting (Auckland) 1.66m 3.
Paralympic Women
100m: Libby Leikis (Wellington) 16.25s 1, Anna Stevens (North Harbour Bays) 16.46s 2.
Shot: Tamara Gotty (Auckland) 6.56m 1, Amy Dunn (Waikato BOP) 4.10m 2.
Long Jump: Anna Grimaldi (Otago) 5.38m 1, Anna Steven (North Harbour Bays) 3.35m 2.
Javelin: Holly Robinson (Otago) 42.54m 1, Caitlin Dore (Otago) 22.00m 2, Tamara Gotty (Auckland) 12.41m 3.
Men
100m: Joseph Millar (Waikato BOP) 10.18s 1, Kodi Harman (Waikato BOP) 10.59s 2, Cameron French (Waikato BOP) 10.72s 3.
5000m: Daniel Malchin (Canterbury) 14m 15.68s 1, Aaron Pulford (Waikato BOP) 14m 17.85s, Ryan Sissons (Auckland) 14m 19.81s 3.
3000m walk: David Smyth (Australia) 15m 46.28s 1.
Hammer: Matt Bloxham (Auckland) 59.81m 1, Warren Button (Waikato BOP) 56.83m 2, Todd Bates (Otago) 53.96m 3.
Discus: Marshall Hall (Southland) 55.11m 1, Alexander Parkinson (Auckland) 52.94m 2, Nathaniel Sulopo (Wellington) 49.82m 3.
U20 Men
100m: Nick Smith (Wellington) 11.13s 1, Kamal Patwalia (Auckland) 11.13s 2, Ethan Holman (Waikato BOP) 11.24s 3.
5000m: Jared Lautenslager (Tasman) 14m 43,71s 1, Oli Chignell (Otago) 14m 47.47s 2, Mitchell Small (Canterbury) 14m 49.91s 3.
Hammer: Anthony Nobilo (Auckland) 59.46m 1, Nick Hailes (Auckland) 52.36m 2, Hugh McLeod-Jones (Otago) 50.88m 3.
High Jump: Christopher Goodwin (Waikato BOP) 1.96m 1, Tevita Finau (Waikato BOP) 1.86m 2, Teaue Teihotaata (Tahiti) 1.86m 3.
Long jump: Thomas Rawstron (WaikBoP) 7.13m 1, Christopher Goodwin (WaikBoP) 7.10m 2, Felix McDonald (Otago) 6.90m 3.
U18 Men
100m: James Guthrie-Croft (Auckland) 11.12s 1, Tapasu Paea (Auckland) 11.25s 2, George Kozlov (Auckland) 11.39s 3.
3000m: Isaiah Priddey (Waikato BOP) 8m 27.73s 1, Samuel Tanner (Waikato BOP) 8m 31.92s 2, Kalani Sheridan (Tasman) 8m 35.40s 3.
3000m race walk: Bradyn Popow (Manawatu Wanganui) 16m 35.31s 1.
Long Jump: Nic Forster (Canterbury) 6.67m 1, Cody House (Canterbury) 6.66m 2, Cameron Miller (Otago) 6.59m 3.
Discus: Connor Bell (Auckland) 60.47m 1, Hamish Mears (Otago) 45.13m 2, Nikolas Kini (Northland) 43.24m 3.
Paralympic Men
100m: Lachlaon Foote (International) 12.22s 1, Ethan Rangi (Auckland) 12.78s 2, Keegan Pitcher (Auckland) 13.55s 3.
800m: William Stedman (Canterbury) 2m 11.68s 1, Keegan Pitcher (Auckland) 2m 12.02s 2, Sunil Fernandez-Ritchie (Waikato BOP) 2m 18.04s 3.
Long Jump: William Stedman (Canterbury) 4.97m 1, Ethan Rangi (Auckland) 4.48m 2.
Seated Shot: Tui Te'o (Auckland) 3.88m 1.
Discus: Jaydon Ahi-Perez (Auckland) 35.37m 1, Jack Lewer (Manawatu Wanganui) 28.78m 2, Aodhan Hamilton (Waikato BOP) 25.58m 3.
Seated Javelin: Tui Te'o (Auckland) 9.28m 1.
Javelin: Tui Te'o (Auckland) 9.28m 1.
