Whanganui's Krystine Davis is winning the masters women's events by country miles at the New Zealand Speed Skating championships in Whanganui.PHOTO/ STUART MUNRO
Whanganui's Krystine Davis is winning the masters women's events by country miles at the New Zealand Speed Skating championships in Whanganui.PHOTO/ STUART MUNRO
Injury and a technical track have not slowed the performance of reigning senior men's champion Ollie Jones at the New Zealand Speed Skating Road, Track and Marathon Championships in Whanganui this week.
The Canterbury 2014 junior world silver medallist did battle with former team-mate Dale Chriistoffersen (Timaru) over the shorterdistances on day one on Monday before clearing out in the 20km men's elimination event on the Kowhai Park track.
The 19-year-old slashed 28 seconds off the national record lapping the field at least seven times during the race. Jones had held the record that stood at 33.14.5001 last year.
Standing 1.90-metres tall, the lanky athlete sustained a shin injury during the recent world championships in Taiwan and was still feeling the effects of it this week.
"It will require surgery at some stage but it's not feeling as bad as it was overseas. It's just a case of managing it, really," Jones said yesterday just after pipping Chriistoffersen on the line in the final of the men's 500m dash.
Chriistoffersen, better known as the sprinter between the pair, raced away to lead the pack at the start of the 1000m dash with Jones stalking throughout. It took Jones the full length of the home straight along the bank of the Whanganui River to haul Chriistoffersen in.
Christchurch's Ollie Jones (right) uses all of his 1.90m frame to outstretch Timaru's Dale Chriistoffersen in the senior men's 500m final at the national speed skating championships at Kowhai Park in Whanganui yesterday.
In a slick, obviously well practised move, both skaters lunged with the one skate out-stretched in an attempt to cross the line first - Jones won that battle using the entire length of his left leg to claim the title.
One day one, Chriistoffersen had beaten Jones in the men's 200m time trial before finishing second in the 20km elimination and the 1000m final.
"I'm more of a long-distance racer compared to Dale, but the 20km was tough," Jones said yesterday.
"I could feel my injury, although it wasn't too bad. Whanganui is known as a technical track and not usually a track where records are set. You have to slow a bit on the tight uphill turn and then get going again," he said.
"I was always coming to the nationals, I just didn't know how I would perform with the injury. I was pleased to set that new record, though."
Meanwhile, Whanganui skaters were in the thick of it on day one with Krystine Davies completely dominating the masters women's events winning the 200m time trial and the 1000m final.
Stefan Teers won the intermediate men's 200m time trial and 500m final on his national championship debut, while sister Renee was third in the junior girls 200m TT.
Caitlin Ferguson claimed a bronze in the juvenile girls 200m TT, while Drew Brennan won the juvenile boys 200m TT ahead of Chase Morpeth. Brennan also won the 1000m final.
In the primary boys Whanganui lads Josh Valentine and Lucas Hodgson provided the quinella in the 200m TT and the 1000m final.
As expected Timaru's Nicole Begg won the senior women's 200m TT ahead of Manawatu's Daina Gibbs, and the 1000m final with Gibbs again second and Whanganui's Rebecca Smith third.
Day two went into the evening beyond the Chronicle deadline, while racing continues from 1.30pm today at the Jubilee Stadium with the start of the flat track competition.
