William Nelson Athletics Precinct, track where Jacko Gill broke a world record in Hastings 11 years ago. He's back this weekend trying win a first New Zealand Senior title. Photo / Warren Buckland
William Nelson Athletics Precinct, track where Jacko Gill broke a world record in Hastings 11 years ago. He's back this weekend trying win a first New Zealand Senior title. Photo / Warren Buckland
The shot putter who gave the Hawke's Bay regional sports park international recognition the moment it opened 11 years ago is back this weekend in a clash of the titans in which he will be trying for his first national senior title.
Jacko Gill was a 15-year-old Takapuna Grammar schoolboywhen he christened the new venue by smashing the World Junior men's shot put record at the New Zealand Secondary Schools track and field championships, the first big event at the William Nelson Athletics Precinct in December 2010.
But his senior career has been much in the shadow of South Canterbury giant Tom Walsh, whom he will now meet at the Jennian Homes New Zealand Track and Field Championships, trying to break Walsh's sequence of 13 straight wins in the event.
They have regularly faced each other at the circle, most recently at the Tokyo Olympics seven months ago, when Walsh claimed the bronze medal and Gill was ninth.
Early arrivals on Thursday might have wondered about the weather challenges of the weekend. But after some sudden rain and temperature drop to 16C in Hastings early on Wednesday afternoon, MetService was forecasting "a few early showers" for the first day on Thursday and a return to fine weather rising to a peak 24C on Sunday.
Jacko Gill breaking the World Junior shot put record in Hastings in 2010. Photo / Shirley Nesbit
It is one of Hawke's Bay's bigger sporting events of the strangest summer, with a programme stretched from three to four days and precautions to make it a safer event within the confines of rules for larger gatherings.
It is particularly important for some athletes seeking Commonwealth Games and world championships qualifying results, with the track proving itself this summer with New Zealand record women's 100m by Auckland-based sprinter Zoe Hobbs last month and a near men's record at the Sylvia Potts Classic in January.
In targeting a sixth-consecutive title in the dash, Hobbs will be back again as she seeks to go even better than the 11.15sec of her last trip to the Hastings track last month, aiming at the games A-standard of 11.1.
She will also be aiming for her fourth 200m title where she will face defending champion Georgia Hulls, from Hastings, Rosie Elliott and Anna Percy.
Men's sprint star Tiaan Whelpton will go up against Eddie Osei-Nketia in the men's 100m, Osei-Nketia taking advantage of the opening of the border to allow those from Australia to travel here without having to self-isolate.
Whelpton equalled the resident record of 10.18 at the Potts Classic on the super-fast Hastings track. In the heats at the Classic meeting he clocked a wind-assisted 10.09. Osei-Nketia, the 2019 and 2020 national champion, has a best time of 10.12 set in Brisbane a year ago.
The men's 1500m is considered the blue riband event at any national championships and this year's race will not disappoint with Hawke's Bay's own 2017 champion Eric Speakman, 2019 champion Sam Tanner and defending champion and recent 3000m and mile champion Julian Oakley going to the start line, along with recent sub-four miler Matthew Taylor.
Laura Nagel, also from Hawke's Bay, will be attempting to complete a significant grand slam in the women's 1500m-5000m double, having already claimed the 3000m and mile titles this summer.
