Eight months later Lucy and her twin sister Holly won scholarships to Stony Brook University on Long Island, New York. They both became All Americans with Lucy winning a NCAA 1500m title. After graduation, Lucy continued as a professional athlete.
Her speech was inspirational, especially for many of the younger athletes attending. Oliver took us through her athletic journey, emphasising the importance of life balance and the pleasure that running brought her as well as the perseverance required in overcoming setbacks.
The judges would have found the selection of George (Geordie) Beamish as the senior men’s middle-distance runner of the year one of their easier decisions. Beamish, like Oliver, started his athletic journey in Whanganui followed by a US scholarship in Flagstaff, Arizona. He was then a professional athlete with the On Athletics Club (OAC) in Boulder, Colorado.
Beamish spectacularly won the World Indoor 1500m Championships title in Glasgow last March and went on to set New Zealand records in the 3000m steeplechase and 5000m, adding to his 3000m record set in 2023.
Injury in the build-up to the Paris Olympics hampered his preparation and Olympic performance and he was unable to repeat or better his 2023 fifth place at the World Championships in Tokyo.
It was no surprise that Beamish was also awarded the Molly Dorne Cup as MWA athlete of the year.
Another US-based athlete Lexi Maples, who like Oliver and Beamish had her development years in Whanganui, was recognised as the senior women’s thrower of the year.
Maples returned to Whanganui for the 2024 Cooks Classic and is ranked second in the New Zealand hammer rankings. It is pleasing to see athletes who started their journey in Whanganui succeed beyond their junior years and continue their attachment to Athletics Whanganui.
Lucas Martin, who is studying engineering at Canterbury University, was recognised as MWA senior men’s race walker of the year.
Martin, a member of the Athletics Whanganui Committee, also gives valuable service as an official in Canterbury and at home during his summer university vacation. Martin won two track walk medals in Dunedin at the New Zealand Track and Field Championships in March (silver 10,000m and bronze 3000m).
Jonathan Maples had a stellar season, winning a collector’s set of medals from Dunedin (gold 400m hurdles, silver 400m and bronze in the 4 x 400m) and also finished fifth in the 200m. His anchor leg in the relay was sensational, bringing the MWA team from fifth at the changeover. Maples was named the male sprinter of the year.
Damian Hodgson was named under-20 winner (sprints and hurdles) following his New Zealand under-20 400m hurdles title and his share of the bronze medal along with Maples in the 4 x 400m. Hodgson, a 2024 school leaver from Whanganui High School, hopes to win a US scholarship later this year. Oliver Jones won the under-20 out of stadia award.
World Masters record holder Sally Gibbs, a winner of countless masters events over the whole range of middle-distance events, won the masters middle distance runner of the year and the masters out of stadia award.
Francie Bayler won the masters female jumper of the year following her remarkable record in the 80-plus grades. Bayler was also a nominee in the officials’ category.
Palmerston North under-18 athlete Juliet McKinlay, who as a Whanganui Collegiate student trains at both Cooks Gardens and the Massey Community track in Palmerston North, won the under-18 female jumps, sprints/hurdles and throws award. McKinlay won New Zealand medals in all three disciplines and a gold medal in the under-18 heptathlon. McKinlay is currently in Los Angeles with the New Zealand Secondary Schools team and had a good start to the tour with fifth in the prestigious Arcadia Heptathlon.
