Athletics: Crossing Ditch for quality Kiwi event

OI, OI, OI: Manager Lisa Verstraten (front row, right) and HB liaison officer Bruce Smith (front, left) with the Australian contingent at HB Regional Sports Park, Hastings. PHOTO/Mark Roberts

The Australian contingent regard the annual Allan and Sylvia Potts Memorial Classic as a "high-quality" meeting and hope it becomes an annual Mecca of sorts for it.

"The athletes are very proud to be here and there are some terrific runners coming to the event," says team manager Lisa Verstraten, of Melbourne, after they trained at the HB Regional Sports park in Hastings yesterday.

Verstraten said the 800m senior men's field was "an absolute ripper" and their two entries, Nathan Pearce and Jack Rayner, were keen to gauge their worth against the calibre of Olympic silver medallist Nick Willis and defending champion Brad Mathas, of Canterbury.

"It's great to be in a quality field because you have the opportunity to fit in and get dragged around for a PB, which is the aim of every runner."

However, the Aussies won't be able to emulate that intensity in the women's equivalent with Angie Petty, of Canterbury, on track to dominate for seven years.

"I think the girls will be quite start struck by Angie this year who was under two minutes last year and winning the World Uni games title," she said, adding young Heidi Demeo would be a better contender in a few years.

Hammer exponent James Joycey, hurling it 65m, would relish a challenge in all three field events today.

"He's in the under-17 development squad in Australia so he's a real talent to come out here so it'll be great to see what he can do," she said.

Verstraten sounded a warning that the Melbournite had hurled a PB at training in Hastings yesterday.

Alex Carew, also from Melbourne, should be up there in the 400m distance with the seniors.

"He was at the World Uni games in 2013 and 2015 so he's a quality 400m runner," she said.

Nathan Pearce last year competed in the World Crosscountry Championship last year but would probably find the 800m a tad faster.

"But looking ahead at the 3K at the Capital Classic [Wellington] he should look good there."

Jackson Miller-Gage, from Frankton Athletic Club, has a PB of 10.96s in the 100m sprint.

Female runner Kendra Hubbard, of Old Melburnians Club, should give the women's 400m field a decent workout.

Amelia Mazza-Downie, was 11th in the 3000m race at the World Youth Championship so she should feature in the under-23 category.

Heidi Demeo is an Australian junior champion over 800m.

Christine Wearne, of New South Wales, is a sprinter who has clocked decent times in the A heats of the Australian Tours.

It is only Verstraten's second year bringing a contingent to the Bay but she is hoping it'll become a tradition as they do the Potts, Cooks (Whanganui) and the Capital (Wellington) Classics.

"For us to come out here is fantastic for your athletes to compete against us and for us it's exactly the same."

Last year they only competed in the Potts Classic.

Verstraten said the trip overseas also taught her group to be resilient and flexible.

She thanked major sponsors Sileni Estate Winery and Sir Graeme Avery for their support as well as their liaison officer, Bruce Smith, and race organiser Richard Potts.

The trip fits in ideally with the Aussie itinerary where they are about to start the Aussie Tours.

"Look, I can see in the future more senior runners choosing to come over here, especially if the quality fields stay because that's a big draw card," she said, luring runners from Victoria predominantly but hoping to put her feelers out nationally later.