Whanganui High School triple jumper Lulu Dufty has started the season with a personal best of 5.09m, her first 5m jump.
A young Year 9 athlete once said to me that a world track record was just “another guy’s personal best”.
It is now 30 years since British triple jumper Jonathan Edwards set the world triple jump record at the then International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Championships in August 1995 in Gothenburg.
His record of 18.29m surpassed his own record from the first round and became the first legal 18m jump recorded (he had an 18.43m wind-assisted performance earlier that year).
Third-placed Dominican jumper Jérôme Romain, on that memorable day in Gothenburg, said: “He [Edwards] can rest easy for a while – this is not an easy feat, I’m telling you.”
Roumain’s comments have proved prescient as the triple jump is one of five world records that still stand 30 years or more since they were set in the 1990s. Interestingly, three of the five are in male jumps - the high jump (2.45m), set by Cuban Javier Sotomayer in 1991 and the long jump (8.95m), set by American Michael Powell in 1991, with the other two being the male 4x400 record (2m 54.29s, USA, 1993) and the hammer record (86.74m), set by the USSR’s Yuriyh Sedykh (1986).
Edwards went on to win Olympic gold at Sydney in 2000 and at one time in 2002 was the holder of Olympic, world, European and Commonwealth titles. However, his personal best (world record) was set seven years earlier, illustrating that the better and more experienced athletes set fewer personal bests.
For younger athletes at all levels, personal bests are set more frequently and prove motivational during their development. Many who wisely keep training diaries not only have standard event personal bests but also training bests, and can reflect on progress over a number of training workouts.
It is interesting to see the large number of personal bests recorded in the opening week of the new season in all regions, as recorded in Athletics New Zealand’s excellent Athletic Round-Up.
These personal bests provide a confidence boost at the start of the new season. It is clear that the success of the New Zealand team at the recent world championships in Tokyo may have inspired many and throughout the country there have been healthy numbers braving our spring weather.
Whanganui has been no exception, with a large turnout in inclement weather and with many personal bests set right at the start of the new season. Jonathan Maples, who won New Zealand gold over 400m hurdles and silver in the 400m, ran a personal best 34.78s over 300m, which gives positive affirmation that early-season training is going well.
Zoe Broadhead, Sophie Dunlop, Darcy Johnston and Xavier Brotherston ran 1000m in the opening 1500m as pacemakers. They should be pleased with their bests in the intermediate distance, while Lennox Brotherston set a personal best over the full 1500m.
Broadhead and Tilly Darke gained further motivation by running personal bests in the parkrun on Saturday, which attracted 156 participants (second-equal largest).
Other personal bests last Tuesday came from Olive Coombs, Bruce McGregor, James McGregor and Ethan Wells (100m and 200m hurdles). The large 100m fields saw personal bests from Alex Payne, Reiley Thomas and Josh Richardson. Charlie McBride set a best in the 200m hurdles and Tyler O’Brien over 300m, in what was an impressive opening night.
The nature of the sport creates its own barriers and milestones. Roger Bannister will forever be remembered as the first man to run under four minutes for the mile, just as Edwards was the first man to jump 18m in the triple jump, Sir John Walker under 3m 50s in the mile and Mondo du Plantis the first to jump 6.30m in the pole vault.
Their world records may be bettered (in the case of Bannister and Walker, some years ago) but being the first to better a “barrier” will remain forever.
For young female jumpers, a 5m long jump is often seen as a barrier. Whanganui High School’s Lulu Dufty, who battled injury issues throughout last season, should be delighted with her personal best and first 5m jump (5.09m) last Tuesday, providing encouragement and motivation at the start of a new season.
The atrocious weather this Tuesday, although clearing just before Club Night, resulted in a reduced programme for the lower number who ventured out.
On the Saturday between our first two nights, a personal best was set and a barrier of another kind was broken. Paul Duxfield and his team of Paul McKee, Peter Monrad and Tony Bayler erected the substantial hammer cage in less than three hours on Saturday, the fastest ever and the first under three hours. Experience and teamwork at its best.
Cooks Gardens is in full summer mode and ready for an exciting season.