Junior competitors featured prominently in the Whanganui Speed Skating Club’s outstanding performance at the 2026 National Speed Skating Championships.
Competing in Christchurch earlier this month, the Whanganui team put on an impressive display of skill, racing intelligence and team spirit, manager Kelly Jones said.
The club’s junior skaters were amajor highlight of the championships.
“Junior skaters Tazia Parker and Micky Zhang dominated their respective grades in emphatic fashion, breaking numerous national records and firmly establishing themselves as two of New Zealand’s most exciting emerging talents ahead of their upcoming campaigns in Europe, where they will compete against some of the world’s best,” Jones said.
“Zhang produced an extraordinary performance, rewriting the record books throughout his junior grade. Notably, many of the records he broke had been set by skaters in the final year of the junior grade, while Zhang himself still has another year remaining.”
His 800m performance drew particular attention, breaking the junior men’s record and finishing just one second outside the senior men’s national record. Jones said that time was set by a world silver medallist, underlining Zhang’s “exceptional speed and potential”.
Parker was equally dominant, with a clean sweep of her junior grade, including the open races.
She demonstrated “a level of control and authority rarely seen”, Jones said.
“One of the standout moments of the championships came during her 300m time trial, where she set a new junior national record that was just a quarter of a second outside the senior women’s record, held by one of New Zealand’s most accomplished field skaters.”
Whanganui’s youngest representative, Mackenzie Allen, 8, was another standout performer.
“Racing with confidence and maturity, Allen claimed an almost clean sweep of gold medals in her grade, narrowly missing perfection with a single bronze.
“Her strong racing aptitude and fearless approach quickly made her a crowd favourite, with enthusiastic support following her throughout the week.”
Allen’s performances earned her the Junior Aggregate Trophy and confirmed her status as a rising talent within the sport.
The club’s strength in the younger grades continued with an exceptional showing from cadet skater Caleb Valentine.
Valentine claimed the Skating Oscar Trophy after a memorable performance in the Open Indoor 10km George Hailes Memorial Race.
“Competing against senior skaters who were significantly older and more experienced, Valentine rose to the challenge with determination and tactical awareness,” Jones said.
“From the outset, he positioned himself confidently within the senior pack, moving forward at key moments and maintaining his effort through to the finish to place an impressive fourth overall, a result that generated significant excitement among spectators.”
The Whanganui Speed Skating Club had an outstanding performance at the 2026 National Speed Skating Championships in Christchurch.
Whanganui’s success was built on strong performances across all grades, Jones said.
The club collected gold, silver and bronze medals, with aggregate trophies spanning from the juvenile grades through to the Masters Men’s Aggregate Trophy, won by Jerome Allen.
“This breadth of success highlighted the club’s consistency and depth across the full age range. Across the week in Christchurch, the Whanganui Speed Skating Club demonstrated a high standard of technical ability, race craft and unity.
“Finishing second overall for the Unity Trophy, just behind the Mt Wellington club, was a reflection of the collective strength of the team, capping off a highly successful national championships and setting an exciting platform for the international and national challenges ahead.”
