Athletics: Bay track draws talent top athlete

The third fastest New Zealander over the 110m hurdles is hailing the Bay of Plenty as the pound-for-pound champs of New Zealand track and field as he prepares for the next step of his international campaign.

Michael Cochrane, who beat four Olympic semifinalists in winning the 110m hurdles in a time of 50.07sec at the Sydney Track Classic in early March, believes convincing results in a number of disciplines at the New Zealand nationals has further enhanced the region's reputation.

"The new track that's been built in Tauranga has had a lot to do with Tauranga becoming a real powerhouse in New Zealand athletics," said Cochrane.

The 21-year-old former Bethlehem College student, who honed his craft with Tauranga Ramblers, struggled with his energy levels at the nationals in failing to record a double in the 110m and 400m hurdles.

His 14.27sec time in the shorter distance was good for first place by nearly a full second, but his 50.74sec in the 400m event was one-10th of a second too slow in a race in which three participants broke the 51sec mark.

Back in training ahead of trips to the Melbourne Grand Prix and Australian Nationals in Sydney in coming weeks, Cochrane is reflecting on the season-defining time he ran on his last trip to Australia's biggest city.

"I went over there looking for a bit more overseas experience and hoping for a good time. I was feeling really good so challenged them for the win. I've been hoping to run a time like that all year."

That time, set against a quality international field, was a personal best by more than half a second and equates to an A qualifying time for the World Student Games.

It is only 0.47sec away from the B qualifying mark for the 2013 IAAF World Championships in Moscow in August, and just 0.17sec off the New Zealand all-time mark.

Cochrane will be looking for a sub-50sec time in Australia on a campaign he hopes will lead to Moscow, Glasgow for the 2014 Commonwealth Games, and Rio de Janeiro for the 2016 Olympics.