Irving’s late burst mows them down

TO THE FORE: The New Zealand Track and Field Championships in Christchurch over the weekend were the scene of outstanding performances by Maddie Wilson (left) in the high jump, long jump and 100-metre hurdles and Briana Irving in the 100m and 200m. Picture by Liam Clayton

Gisborne sprinter Briana Irving took them by surprise at the New Zealand Track and Field Championships in Christchurch yesterday.

She mowed down the competition late in the race to win the women’s under-18 gold medal for the 200 metres.

Her time of 24.92 seconds was 0.09 of a second better than that of the runner-up, Manawatu-Wanganui athlete Genna Maples, who has been regarded for years as New Zealand’s best junior sprinter.

Irving’s powerhouse finish produced a sensational end to the race . . . nobody seemed to know where she came from.

In the heats on Saturday, she was fourth-fastest qualifier with a time of 25.51s.

However, she had given some indication of her form with a third placing in the u18 100m final on Friday.

Her time of 12.33s was 0.14s slower than that of runner-up Maples and 0.47s slower than that of winner Sophie Williams, of Manawatu-Wanganui.

Irving, a beach sprint specialist with the Junior Black Fins surf lifesaving team, was one of three Gisborne Athletic Club representatives competing for the Hawke’s Bay-Gisborne centre in the national track and field championships at the new Nga Puna Wai sports hub.

The others were Maddie Wilson and Le’Sharn Anderson.

Wilson produced a personal best of 1.73 metres to take second place in the women’s u18 high jump yesterday. Her best height was three centimetres below that of winner Josie Taylor, of Waikato-Bay of Plenty, and three centimetres above that of the third-placed athlete.

Two days earlier Wilson had taken second place in the u18 long jump with another personal best — by over 40 centimetres — of 5.52m, achieved in the last of her six jumps.

Also on Friday, she was third in the u20 high jump with a height of 1.61m.

On Saturday, Wilson was running third in the final of the u18 100m hurdles when her knee knocked over a hurdle. She finished seventh in the still-respectable time of 15.31s . . . 1.15s behind the winner.

Middle-distance specialist Anderson was fourth in the women’s u18 3000m on Friday. Her time of 10 minutes 44.98s was 6.98s slower than that of the third-placed runner and 34.74s slower than that of the winner.

Irving, Wilson and Anderson all go to Gisborne Girls’ High School, where Arna Majstrovic is their coach and physical education teacher.

Irving and Wilson are also teammates at Waikanae Surf Life Saving Club.