Athletics NZ weekly roundup 12 June 2017

AUCKLAND

Athletics Auckland Grand Prix Cross Country and Teams Championships, Barry Curtis Park East Tamaki - 10 June 2017

National Cross country champion Jono Jackson is on track to defend his title at the end of July, following an impressive slog through the muddy conditions to led his Auckland City Athletics Club to victory in the annual teams championships. Jackson was joined by master runner Steve Rees-Jones from Cambridge for the first three of five laps around the sloppy under foot course. Jackson picked up the pace leading into the final 4km and went on to win the 10km race in 36:00, 24 seconds ahead of Rees-Jones. Greg Darbyshire was third with Peter Wheeler next followed by Jonny McKee and Harry Ewing.

Jackson was up to the conditions.

"Steve and I were together till two laps to go and I just picked the cadence up because through the mud thats all you can really do.

"I felt strong to the end which Im happy with as I missed the last race," said Jackson.

"I want to be racing everything I can, like usual, and aiming for the nationals as I like cross country and I want to back up and try and do a Hicksy and Callan Moody and get two (titles), he added.

Owairaka won the master mens teams race.

Katie Wright followed up her win at Pakuranga with another impressive outing, winning the senior womens 6km in 24:28. Audrey Gregan was second in 24:59 with Nicole Mitchell from Hamilton third in 25:52. Fiona Love was the fastest in the master women recoding 26:25. North Harbour Bays easily won the teams race while Pakuranga won the masters women teams.

Andrew Catley was a clear winner of the combined under 20 and 18 race over 5km in 17:58. Trent Dodds was second with Sam Montgomerie from Hamilton third and the first under 18 in 18:44.

Charli Miller won the under 18 4km outright in the combined race with the under 20. Miller ran the distance in 16:33, Ainsley Thorpe was next and first under 20 in 16:45.Gina Butler of Cambridge was second in the under 20 and Lucy Burrell second in the under 18.

Pakuranga won both the men and women under 18/20 team titles.

Sebastian Wharton won the boys 15 4km in 16:26 and Arabella White won the girls 15 2.5km in 9:57. Pakuranga also won both team races.

HAMILTON

Oceania Warm Up Meeting, Porritt Stadium - 10 June 2017

Ben Langton Burnell set a personal best javelin throw of 82.44m, at the warm up meeting for the Oceania Area Championships in Suva Fiji at the end of the month. This is over two metres further than his previous best at the Porritt Classic Meeting in February. Alex Wood was out to 70.51m. Cam Robinson with a 700g javelin cleared 62.13m. Georgia Hulls 150m 17.40, 300m 40.20. Also competing Michael Goldie 150m 15.90, 300m 35.50. Tatiana Kaumoana DT 45.89m, Stephanie Wrathall 600g JT 48.64m.

WELLINGTON

Dorne Cup Cross Country Races, Trentham Memorial Park - 10 June 2017

Wellington Scottish senior men turned up in numbers to reclaim the Dorne Cup from Wellington Harriers. Their strategy was to push the pace right from the start and Scottish captain Rowan Hooper, national marathon champion Nick Horspool and Kristian Day dragged the field round a quick first lap, making a break which they held to the finish. Horspool won the 8km in 25:53, three seconds ahead of Hooper with a further second to Day. The rest of the Scottish's six-man team, Harry Burnard, Niam Macdonald and Dan Jones each ran well over the second half to give Scottish a comfortable victory 36 points to WHAC 56.

Ruby Muir won the womens 6km in 22:01, from Sarah Drought 22:30, Rebecca Elliott 23:07 and Kara Macdermid 23:11. WHAC won the teams.

In the men U/20 4km Seamus Kane was first in 12:33, from Lachlan Haitana 12:43 with WHAC winning the teams. WHAC also won the men U/18, Liam Back winning the 4km in 12:47 from Liam Chesney.

Maiya Christini won the womens U/20 4km in 14:45 and Phoebe McKnight was first in the U/18 in 13:42.

The masters men 40 8km won by Stephen Day in 26:50 from Daniel Clendon 27:33 and Phil Starr 28:31, Scottish winning the teams. Peter Stevens won the MM 50 in 29:17 from Michael Wray 29:42, Scottish picking up the teams. Tony Price won the MM60 6km in 24:32 Scottish the teams and in the MM70 Brian Hayes won with the teams going to WHAC.

Tamara Winkler won the MW 6km in 23:14 Olympic winning the teams, Victoria Humphries won the MW50 in 24:39 Scottish the teams and Michele Allison the MW60 in 27:59.

Finn Seeds won the B15 3km in 9:53 five seconds ahead of Will Anthony, teams to Olympic. Maali Kyle-Ford won the G15 3km in 11:13 the teams to WHAC.

CHRISTCHURCH

Holloway Memorial Cross Country Races, Old Ascot Golf Course - 10 June 2017

Matt Dryden won the senior men 8km in 27:33 from Paul Timothy 29:47. Chris Mardon was the best of the masters in 28:21. Jean Kozyniak won the SW 8km in 31:01, from Kiri Atkin 31:29. Maggie Chorley ran the fastest masters 6km in 25:10. Nick Moulai U/20 6km in 20:19 one second ahead of Connor Melton. Navajo Prentice won the women U/20 4km in 15:10 from Harriet Bush 15:18 and Charlotte Blair 15:39. Andres Hernandez won the U/18 4km in 13:38 and Liliana Braun the women U/18 4km in 15:02.

DUNEDIN

Barnes Cross Country, Kettle Park - 11 June 2017

Stafford Thompson was the fastest in the mens 5km in 17:34 from Kirk Madgwick 17:40 and Blair Martin 17:45. The teams went to Leith. Shauna Pali was the quickest in the womens 3.75km in 15:03 from Bella Bloomfield 15:22 and Mel Aitken 15:58, the teams to Caversham. The under 18 men 2.5km to Drew Cairney in 8:30 the teams to Hill City University and Jordan Evans-Tobata was the fastest in the women U18 2.5km in 11:13 the teams to Caversham.

INVERCARGILL

Roslyn Downs Cross Country - 10 June 2017

Masters sprint champion Scott Belesky won the 6.4km handicap event, the third in series of five handicapped races in the Southland harrier programme. The event was held over rolling Southland farmlands and the frequent and steady up-hills added to a degree of difficulty by soft underfoot conditions. Belesky worked hard on the final hill but when he realised he was safe from fast finishing Shawn Watts and Jaxon Taylor (15) he gave himself the luxury of walking the final few metres. Watts added to his third placing at the last handicap race and is currently among the points leaders in the season-long series. The junior 3 km race was won by Jake Potter, in 14:01. Potter also had fastest time by 1:08 from 10 year old Kimberley Iversen. Fastest time in the 6.4km event went to Jaxon Taylor by 3 seconds in 23:39 from Jack McNaughton with Buddy Small 23:57. Angela Ryan (W55) had the fastest womens time.

ITALY

IAAF Diamond League, Golden Gala, Olympic Stadium Rome, 8 June: Eliza McCartney opened her 2017 Diamond League campaign with a third place in Rome, clearing 4.75m, just 0.07m behind her New Zealand and Oceania record. The 20 year old had an opening height of 4.40m, clearing on her second attempt, before going clear at 4.55m with her first jump and then needing two attempts at 4.65m.

At 4.75m McCartney needed all three attempts clearing her third with lots of clear air but knocking the bar on the way down and watching the bar bounce before it stayed up.

With the bar at 4.85m, the bronze medallist at the 2016 Rio Olympics had three good attempts at what would have been a new personal best and New Zealand record.

The competition was won by 2016 Rio Olympics champion Ekaterina Stefanidi from Greece, clearing 4.85m, while 2015 World Champion Yarisley Silva was placed second at 4.75m, ahead of McCartney on the countback.

BELGIUM

Flanders Cup, Allonsius Sport, Huizingen, 10 June: Michael Cochrane 400m H 50.57 (1).

USA

Jim Bush Invitational, Claremont CA, 3 June: Rosa Flanagan 1500m 4:32.93 (2).

NCAA Div 1 Championships, Eugene Oregon, 7 June: Matt Baxter 10,000m 29:09.83 (7). 8 June: Grace McConnochie 10,000m 33:31.74 PB (11), Julia Ratcliffe HT 65.25m (6). 9 June: Craig Lautenslager 5000m 14:43.36 (13), Julian Oakley 5000m 14:45.63 (17). 10 June: Olivia Burdon 5000m 15:50.15 PB (9).

Music City Distance Carnival, Nashville TN, 10 June: Simon Rogers 1500m 3:44.56 PB (6).

POLAND

Lekkoatletyczny Meeting, Radom, 4 June: Katherine Camp 800m 2:03.91 (3).

4th International Meeting, Lomza, 7 June: Katherine Camp 800m 2:03.21 (1).

63rd Janusz Kusocinski Memorial Meeting, Szczecin, 10 June: Katherine Camp 800m 2:04.31 (6).

NORWAY

Flora Athletics Festival, Flora, 10 June: Camille Buscomb 1500m 4:15.91 (3).

SWEDEN

Folksam Challenge, Gothenburg, 10 June: Brad Mathas 800m 1:48.63 (5).

GERMANY

Pfingsportfest, Rehlingen, 5 June: Nicholas Southgate PV 5.20m (10).

AUSTRALIA

NSW Throwers, Greystanes Sydney, 3 June: Warren Button HT 54.96m (2).

- This story has been automatically published using a media release from Athletics New Zealand