Just a week after the call about Baker came the announcement that George (Geordie) Beamish was named in the 15-strong athletics team for the Paris Olympics.
Beamish, who is still a member of Athletics Whanganui, has been selected to run in the 3000m steeplechase - the event he finished in fifth place at the World Championships in Budapest last year. Beamish has had a stellar year and his progress over so many distances and disciplines, especially the world indoor 1500m title in Glasgow, will be a major confidence boost in an Olympic year.
Last week I also heard from former Whanganui athlete Lexi Maples, currently on a scholarship in the United States where she is studying for her master’s degree in health nutrition and exercise science majoring in physical education.
Maples has made outstanding progress this month as a hammer thrower with a series of personal bests that have moved her to fifth on the New Zealand all-time hammer rankings. Maples said, “I feel I’m finally living out my passion”.
Maples has demonstrated considerable perseverance to be finally living that passion. In her time at Whanganui Collegiate School, she won only one individual medal and that was a silver in the junior (under-20) women’s heptathlon in 2017 in her final school year and backed this up with another silver in the 4 x 100m relay at New Zealand Secondary Schools at the end of the year.
She showed progress in several disciplines, including an introduction to shot and hammer with coach Richard Drabczynski. A series of personal bests, reaching finals and relays provided motivation.
The following year Maples moved to Christchurch for a gap year built around her athletics development with heptathlon her goal. Under the guidance of coach Terry Lomax, Maples made good progress although hampered by injury.
However, she moved towards the throwing disciplines, gaining a bronze medal in hammer in 2021 with a throw of 51.76m. A year later, she improved to 56.76m for another bronze, backed by a bronze in shot, her secondary event. The 13.21m effort remains her personal best as she has concentrated on hammer.
Maples moved a step higher on the podium last year to silver with a new best of 59.81m, coming ever-closer to her 60m goal and she again took bronze in the shot.
Twenty-four-year-old Maples was given an opportunity to take up a scholarship in North Dakota for her master’s degree. Maples grasped the opportunity, producing some outstanding performances.
In her first summer competition (in winter she competed in the indoor weight throw) at Fargo on April 5, she won with a new personal best of 61.88m. Less than a week later at the Pacific Coast Meet in Long Beach, she set a new personal best of 64.97m and twice bettered her Fargo throw in the series.
This put her fifth on the New Zealand all-time rankings. Two days later at the Beach International in Long Beach, a track she had competed at in 2017 while still at school, she had her second-best throw with a 63.46m effort, confirming her almost linear progress over six years to improve her personal best by more than 27m. Living out a passion takes perseverance and dedication.
On Sunday I called former Whanganui Collegiate club captain Marseille Bowie‚ who left Whanganui Collegiate in 2019, inquiring about her first marathon in Christchurch.
She remarked it was a long way but was pleased to have completed the event. She also mentioned that George Lambert, who was in the same Schools Team as Rebecca Baker in 2019 at Wollongong, after a break from running is back training and ran in the quarter marathon. Lambert’s sister Sarah, also in the team to Wollongong, told me she is preparing for her second marathon in Queenstown.
It is always pleasing to hear about sporting successes of former Whanganui athletes.
