Records tumble at champs

Eugenia Lee gets a push during the Junior Mixed pairs relay heats at Jubilee Stadium on Friday. Photo/ Stuart Munro

THE NZ Speed Skating championships, hosted by the Wanganui Speed Skating Club, wrapped up successfully on Sunday with the marathon around the Cemetery Circuit after road events at Kowhai Park and indoor action at Jubilee Stadium.

With the championship marathon races, which saw Christchurch's Ollie Jones setting a New Zealand record, there was a recreational skater's 5km race.

It was well supported by the local roller derby community and roller hockey competitors, with about 30 entries. It was won by regular English visitor Derek Unsworth.

This time when Whanganui hosted the championships, all three disciplines - road, indoor, and marathon - were hosted in the city, whereas previously the marathon section was contested in Palmerston North.

Of the locals, Whanganui's Renee Teers won her fifth gold medal in winning the 21km junior half marathon to cap an extremely successful championships.

Caitlin Fergusson was dominant on the road in the Juvenile girls with two golds, but was outnumbered indoors by a huge Timaru contingent and could not add to her titles.

Whanganui newcomers Cassandra Bonican, Keira Hodgson and Nicole Valentine showed they had plenty of potential.

The Juvenile boys grade was a Whanganui show with Drew Brennan making the early running with two titles on the road, but Chase Morpeth overcame a slow start to become an unstoppable force - winning a clutch of titles indoors and breaking several national records in the process.

This culminated in him winning the Joe Bright Memorial Trophy for Outstanding Male Speed Skater.

Last year's Primary champion Trent James won a bronze in this class.

The primary grades saw Josh Valentine win the overall boys title with Lucas Hodgson winning most of the silvers on debut.

Keira Brennan was a consistent silver medallist in the primary girls.

In the Senior men's grade, while no one threatened Ollie Jones, Whanganui's Andrew Jones showed he has graduated to the top level with impressive performances ranging from a silver medal in the 300m TT through to a battling fourth place in the 42km men's marathon.

Stefan Teers showed a new determined attitude and real speed to chase home Timaru's unbeaten Nick Frame in the Intermediate men's grade for most of the silver medals.

An injury-plagued Krystine Davies, former world silver medallist, still made mincemeat of the Masters ladies class in the races she was able to compete in and picked up several records as well.

Timaru's Nicole Begg continued to reign supreme in the Senior women's division but Melissa White and Rebecca Smith chased her home for silvers and bronzes to keep the Whanganui colours to the fore.

Timaru retained the Unity Trophy for the club with the most points overall, with the Wanganui club runnerup.

There were more than 90 entries for the national.