Expat CHB athlete Briana Stephenson back in the game after knee surgery

Senior heptathletes from left: Alice Taylor (Waikato/BOP), Christina Ryan - gold, Maddie Wilson - silver (both from Canterbury), CHB's Briana Stephenson - bronze and Aliyah Johnson (both from Auckland).

Fourteen months after her second knee surgery (same knee), former Waipukurau local Briana Stephenson, 23, was back competing at her first National Athletics Champs since March 2021.

But these champs were different. They were the NZ Combined Events Athletics Champs, recently held at Cook’s Gardens, Whanganui.

The Women’s Heptathlon covers seven different events over two gruelling days of physically and mentally demanding competition. Points are collected per each event and the eventual winner has the most points. The faster the time or longer the distance, the more points you will gather up.

Day one carries four events but the three events on day two always finish with the physically destroying 800m.

Briana had never run a 100m hurdles race before, so having only trained for hurdles and not competed - yet, this was exciting just as much as scary. Her time of 15.05s and third was a good beginning. Had she not rushed her landing off the last hurdle, slightly stumbling, then sub-15s was certain.

She was satisfied with 1.68m and another third in the high jump. A second placing 10.71m personal best (PB) in shot put could’ve been much more. Two no throws, particularly her last, were definitely over 12m.

She then blasted out an impressive first place in the 200m, sprinting 25.21s but is hoping to go under 25s nearer her best times from the past.

Day two started with her favourite long jump but this isn’t quite where she wants it to be yet, so walked away in third and was a little disappointed. Another third and a PB by 4m in javelin was very pleasing. So it all ends with the 800m, the double lapper.

Briana’s tactic was to go out very hard from the start and hopefully hang on at the finish. This she almost did, coming in second and slicing 3s off her PB running 2:23.21.

The final standings were all PBs. Canterbury’s seasoned heptathletes both lifted their games versus Briana. Christina Ryan, (5387 points) won her sixth consecutive nationals gold and Maddie Wilson, (5235) got silver while Briana, (5127) in her first ‘Hep’ comp ever, received bronze. All three have qualified for the Australian Athletics Heptathlon Champs in Brisbane at the end of March.