Damian Hodgson won the 400m hurdles at the New Zealand Track and Field Championships, his first senior New Zealand title.
Damian Hodgson has claimed his first New Zealand senior title, winning the senior 400m hurdles at the New Zealand Track and Field Championships on Thursday in Auckland.
His time over the 10 hurdles was a personal-best 53.96s and his first under 54s, to ensure the title stayed with a Whanganui athlete.
Hodgson impressed throughout, taking another step in a promising career.
His medal was one of 27 won by the Manawatū-Whanganui (MWA) team at the four-day championships at the Trusts Stadium in Henderson.
Once again MWA, representing one of New Zealand’s smallest centres, punched above their weight, returning south with seven gold medals, eight silver medals and 12 bronze medals.
These included medal success in three relays, with significant Whanganui contribution to this success.
Hodgson ran in the silver-medal 4x400 team, running an outstanding third leg.
William Rolfe (Palmerston North), who earlier in the meet finished fourth in the Under-20 400m, stepped up a grade to run an outstanding first leg, handing on to Whanganui’s Nat Kirk, who fought every step of the lap to keep the team in contention.
Jonathan Maples, who anchored the team to come from fifth to third last year in Dunedin, was again faced with the anchor-leg responsibility.
Auckland held an unsurmountable lead with Otago taking over slightly behind.
Maples, who missed nearly a month in the build-up, finished fourth in the 400m on the main Track Stars programme.
In the relay, Maples ran more conservatively, allowing Otago’s Shay Veitch, who had taken the 100m silver medal earlier in the championships, to stay in contact.
Veitch crossed the line narrowly ahead of Maples in the sprint for home (3m 17.94s to 3m 18.12s).
Auckland, first across the line, were disqualified, giving MWA a hard-fought silver medal.
Hodgson was not the region’s only successful hurdler.
In the Under-18 grade, Bruce McGregor took silver in a personal-best 40.51s.
His brother James McGregor, who had hit a home-straight hurdle, was fifth across the line but as two overseas athletes separated the two brothers, he took the New Zealand bronze medal (41.48s).
Alrese Maree was also fifth across the line in her Under-16 300m hurdles but she too claimed a New Zealand bronze, as there were two Polynesian athletes ahead of her.
Later in the meet, Maree just missed the 80m hurdle final but can gain considerable confidence from the personal best on debut.
Lexi Maples, now based in California and at the very start of her northern season, had an excellent series in the hammer with five throws in excess of 60m.
Her best in the opening round was 63.67m to take the silver medal.
Maples, who flew back to Los Angeles on Sunday, can look forward to an exciting northern season.
Whanganui Collegiate boarder Juliet McKinlay (Palmerston North Club), who is recovering from glandular fever, made a significant step towards recovery as she prepares to defend her combined events title later in the month in Auckland.
McKinlay will also compete in the Australian Championships next month in Sydney for New Zealand Secondary Schools.
She took silver in the Under-20 triple jump and bronze in the javelin, adding a further bronze as a member of the 4x100m relay team.
A trio of Whanganui athletes combined with Palmerston North sprinter William Rolfe to bring a surprise bronze in the Under-20 4x100m.
Kopere Maihi, who also ran a personal best in the 100m, where he advanced to run seventh in the final, ran a great first leg and passed on to Lucas Bishop, who earlier set new personal bests in both sprints.
The Bishop to Reiley Thomas handover was textbook, with Thomas running a superb final end to hand over to William Rolfe to secure a surprise bronze from an untried team.
Hannah Byam added to her collection of silver medals in the Under-18 steeplechase.
Byam sliced 11s off her personal best to finish in 7m 07.89s, demonstrating excellent technique over barriers and the water jump.
Byam moved from seventh in the Whanganui Collegiate all-time list to third.
Auguz Thongskul, who has battled an ankle injury all year, jumped well for silver in the Under-18 long jump with a 6.47m jump in the last round.
Thongskul also finished eighth in the 100m final.
Most of the Whanganui athletes will be back in action today in the Whanganui Secondary Schools Championships.
Athletes such as Isaac Ashworth and Lucas Howard, who were not on the Auckland podium, could add new bests from Auckland at Cooks Gardens.
– Supplied copy