Athletics Insight: Juliet McKinlay, Jonathan Maples lead Whanganui track and field rankings

Whanganui High School's Auguz Thongskul had a breakthrough season as a jumper and sprinter.

Ranking tables provide information on current performances of athletes and also comparisons to previous years and motivation for athletes.

New Zealand has world-class national ranking tables and, as with World Athletics, lists performances for the calendar year. The Whanganui rankings list performances for the New Zealand track and field season (2024 -2025).

The New Zealand rankings also contain athlete profiles, creating a historical record of New Zealand athletes throughout their careers. This not only provides athletes with an accurate historical record but is also a huge aid for selectors, journalists and all with an interest in the sport.

Our Whanganui rankings include leading performances for all local athletes, including performances at the Whanganui Secondary Schools Championships. Our rankings also include overseas athletes who have retained their Whanganui affiliation. Additionally, they include non-standard distance events such as 60, 150, 300 and 600 metres which are included regularly at our Club Nights.

Juliet McKinlay, in Year 12 at Whanganui Collegiate School, is an associate Athletics Whanganui member with full membership of Palmerston North Athletics and Harrier Club. She tops our rankings in nine events, including four sprint events (60, 100, 150 and 200m), 100m hurdles, long, high and triple jumps and javelin. She is also second in the shot behind California-based Lexi Maples.

McKinlay won awards in three categories at the recent Whanganui/Manawatu Athletics Awards and was the New Zealand under-18 heptathlon gold medal winner and a member of the New Zealand Schools team to California. McKinlay had an outstanding season.

Year 9 Whanganui High School athlete Jamie Munro is ranked second behind McKinlay in both 100m and 200m, with hurdler Kaylee Bishoff second in both hurdles and 60m while Lulu Dufty, in a year affected by injury, ranked second in both horizontal jumps.

Youth was to the fore in high jump with Hannah Cameron and Mareka Kendrawaca displaying high potential. Thrower Phoebe Corin, although small in stature, displays technical maturity and headed the discus rankings and is second to expat Maples in hammer. Another Year 9 athlete, Harlynn Faalili, headed the 300m rankings.

Whanganui Girls College hurdler Grace Fannin headed the 300m hurdles and 400, 600 and 800m, showing a strength that will prove valuable when later she progresses to 400m hurdles. Middle distance runner Hannah Byam, who was second over 2000m steeplechase at the North Island Schools, also led the Whanganui 1500m and 3000m rankings. Her Whanganui Collegiate teammate Tilly Darke headed the 800m, with Masters New Zealand record holder Sally Gibbs leading the 5000m rankings.

The leading male athlete was Jonathan Maples who topped the rankings in 60, 100, 150, 200, 400m and 400m hurdles. Maples, who had an outstanding season, won the New Zealand 400m hurdles title and took silver in the 400m and bronze in the 4 x 400m. Maples is currently in England and races this weekend at the Loughborough International.

Maples is followed by the very promising Damian Hodgson in the 150m, 200m, 400m, 600m and 400m hurdles where he won gold in the under-20 championship. Hodgson follows several former leading local athletes and is US-bound in August. Hopefully Hodgson, like George Beamish, Brad Mathas and Lexi Maples, will retain his club affiliation.

Auguz Thongskul had an outstanding breakthrough year, winning a bronze medal at the Athletics New Zealand under-18 championships and stepping two places higher on the podium at the North Island Schools with a new impressive personal best. Thongskul added a personal best of over 0.3s in the 100m, taking third in the North Island championship. The young Whanganui High jumper/sprinter has an exciting future.

Colorado-based George Beamish headed the 2000m steeplechase, mile and 5000m with Oliver Jones heading both the 1500m and 3000m (Jones won the MWA Out of Stadia Award in his under-20 age group). Whanganui High School athletes Sean Frieslar, Alex Payne and Lennox Brotherton show considerable middle-distance promise.

Top male throwing rankings were shared by Oliver Toohey (javelin), Cody Campbell (discus) and Te Huatahi Bradley (shot).

At a recent meeting at Sport Whanganui, there was considerable discussion on where to place North Island Schools on the development–elite spectrum. One opinion shared by all was that schools and Athletics Whanganui need to provide pathways for all athletes, particularly those who showed promise at the North Island competition. Cullinane senior jumper Ethan Linklater, who heads all three male jump rankings and is new to the sport, provides a prime example.

The Athletics Whanganui rankings are posted on www.athleticswanganui.co.nz