Fourth national title beckons on Havelock North sprinter Georgia Hulls’ road to Paris

Hawke’s Bay sprinter Georgia Hulls is heading to Wellington with crossed fingers as she defends a national title in a further step on her Paris Olympic Games mission.

But the anxiety for the Havelock North 24-year-old is meteorological.

Hulls is bidding to follow United States-based middle-distance hope Geordie Beamish, also from Havelock North, into the New Zealand Olympic team.

A mixed bag of weather is expected during the four-day national athletics championships at Newtown Park on Thursday.

Georgia Hulls winning a heat on her way to her first national women's 200 metres title in Hastings in 2021. She goes for a fourth consecutive title in Wellington on Sunday, but with even bigger hopes ahead, for the Olympic Games in Paris. Photo / NZME

It opens with a forecast for mainly fine conditions, with fresh north westerlies developing in the morning and a “chance of an evening shower”, according to Metservice.

Friday’s outlook is for occasional rain developing in the morning with north westerlies, turning to fresh southerlies in the evening. Saturday competitors can expect occasional rain, clearing to fine, with fresh southerlies, easing.

“I am glad I’m on the Sunday,” said Hulls.

The forecast is for fine and northerly conditions, almost ideal for the speciality 200 metres, as Hulls attempts a fourth consecutive national title.

She is targeting a time well under her personal best (PB) and the New Zealand record in order to qualify for the Olympics in Paris from July 26 to August 11.

Hulls ran a PB of 22.84s behind friend and rival Rosie Elliott’s record-setting 22.81s in Christchurch in February last year.

She opened her campaign with two races in Australia, and a wind-assisted 23.16s in Christchurch.

The Olympic standard is 22.57s, with some consideration of global rankings also involved.

Hulls ran 23.52s in winning a race in Hamilton last weekend and said afterwards: “Pretty average all up, but really looking forward to racing the nationals this weekend and building on what I have learnt over the season so far”.

Hulls is aware that Wellington’s vagaries can turn to advantage.

Training colleague and 100m star Zoe Hobbs twice ran personal bests in the capital in the early years of her progression to the New Zealand record of 10.96s in France last July.

Auckland-based Hulls will be one of about 30 Hawke’s Bay or Gisborne athletes at the championships, and hopes to also run in a 4x100m Hawke’s Bay Gisborne (HBG) relay team.

Team manager Sharee Jones says it’s one of several relays HBG hopes to feature in.

Other HBG medal hopes are Nick Palmer in the men’s shot put, Bri Stephenson in the women’s 100m hurdles and Holly Manning, seeking to regain the women’s 800m title.

Age group contenders include Sofia Lumbreras in the Under-20 women’s 800m.