Athletics: Tauranga teens head nationals challenge

Tauranga's teenaged brigade will be leading the charge at the national athletics championships in Dunedin, starting tomorrow.
A 14-strong Tauranga Ramblers contingent is attending the championships, led by outstanding sprinters Michael Cochrane, Joseph Millar and Kodi Harman, as well as rising middle-distance star Julian Oakley.
The Gareth Hyett-coached Oakley is ranked third in the M19 1500m with a best of 3mins 52.83sec, but top-ranked Thames runner Aaron Pulford has pulled out.
The Tauranga Boys' College runner has been in withering form in the last six months, dropping huge chunks off his personal bests.
Cochrane will be looking to cement his spot as New Zealand's preeminent hurdler, chasing gold in the M19 and open 400m and 110m jumps races, while Millar is under an injury cloud as he tries to defend his M19 100m and 200m crowns.
The sprinter has had a niggling and persistent lower back injury.
He blitzed the 100m (10.68s) and 200m (21.27s) to take out the senior boys double at the New Zealand secondary schools championships in December.
He's since earned him a place in the BOP Polytechnic's high performance sports academy while studying for a bachelor of sport and recreation degree and has also picked up the coveted Prime Minster's scholarship to pay the fees.
Millar's good friend and training partner, Mount College's Kodi Harman, is also looking for a big nationals, heading in as Bay of Plenty secondary school 100m and 200m champion.
Harman won the senior men's beach sprint at the national surf lifesaving championships a fortnight ago, and is set on winning the feature sprints in the M16 grade.
Mariah Ririnui will contest the W19 100m, where she is ranked third, but has high hopes in the W19 and open women's long jump. Her best leap of 5.62m has her ranked first equal in her agegroup.
Michael Sutton is ranked third in the M16 3000m with a best of 8:59.98, while Luke Davison has entered in the M16 high jump, 110m hurdles, long jump, shot put, discus and javelin, where he's ranked second.
Joseph Reynolds is also ranked second in the M16 high jump with a 1.96m leap.
Meanwhile, former Tauranga athlete Brent Newdick, a Commonwealth Games decathlon silver medallist, has entered seven events over the three days.
Olympic 1500m silver medallist Nick Willis will contest the 5000m in Dunedin this weekend. Willis is into mileage training at the moment and his coach wants him to race the 5000m which is more in keeping with his training.
"My coach didn't want me to back off the training, to put some pop in my legs for the 1500m," said Willis. "I'm strong and fit from the mileage I've been doing and I would like a solid run."
Olympic, Commonwealth and World shot put champion Valerie Adams will be going for her 11th national shot put title.
World junior shot put champion Jacko Gill has opted for the M19 final on Saturday, eyeing a world record for 18 and 19-year-olds with the 6kg shot. The 16-year-old already holds just about every world age shot put record.
The record he is aiming for is 22.73m, held by German David Storl since 2009.
Delhi Commonwealth Games double silver medallist Nikki Hamblin will defend her 800m and 1500m titles on Saturday, with the 1500m on Sunday. Hamblin has raced sparingly this season.
Philip Jensen will be seeking his 17th title in the hammer throw.
Jensen who first won in 1988, has collected the title for the last 13 years in a row.
Stuart Farquhar, silver medallist in Delhi, has won the javelin title 10 times.
"I've been training hard and I will be looking to throw further than the 80.51m I threw at the Porritt Classic," said Farquhar, who has had only one competition this season.
The last athlete to throw over 80m in winning the national title was Gavin Lovegrove with 83.16m in 1992.
Tauranga athletes: Michael Cochrane (hurdles), Sophie Millar (400m), Rebecca Cochrane (long, triple jump), Mariah Ririnui (100m, long jump), Joseph Millar (100m, 200m), Julian Oakley (1500m), Joseph Reynolds (high jump), Livvie Duggan (shot, hammer, discus), Michael Goldie (200m), Kodi Harman (100m, 200m), Olliver Ranby (200m, 400m), Michael Sutton (3000m), Luke Davison (field events, hurdles), Abby Goldie (100m, 200m).