Busy weekend for Manawatu athletes
Manawatu competitors were busy at the weekend. On Saturday Palmerston North Athletic and Harrier members travelled over to Hawke’s Bay to compete in the Hastings steeples, while Feilding Moas competed in their Woodruffe Cup events.
On Sunday many competed in the Manawatu Striders events.
At Hastings, Taylor Trow finished third in the girls’ 10 event.
The girls’ 12 race was dominated by Palmerston north athletes, taking out the first four placings.
Victory went to Kylah Gunn, who was followed home by Monique Gorrie, Brianna Gorrie and Maddie Taylor. A great result.
Ashleigh Gunn was runner up in the girls’ 14 race, with Bradyn Popow sixth in the boys’ event.
Monica Burnard was first across the line in the senior women’s race, while in the senior men’s race, club members were right up the front, with Theo Purdy second, Liam Woolford third, David Lovelock fourth and Sam Merson sixth.
Results from Feilding Moa’s Woodruffe Cup, which were handicap events, saw the boys’ 2.75km race won by first-season member Lucas Allen, with fastest overall time going to Reuben Duker.
The girls’ race was won by Millie Evans, with her older sister Lucy having the fastest time.
Luca Luoni was first colt across the line in the 5.5km, 28 seconds ahead of Andre Le-pine Day, who was the first member to finish to win the cup.
Tessa Webb won the junior women’s trophy for the fourth year in a row from Kaela Drew.
The women’s winner was Debra Arnold, with fastest time going to Tamara Reed, a feat matched by her husband Shane, who recorded the fastest time in the men’s 8.25km event.
The winner on handicap was Sean Webb who just managed to hold of a fast finishing Paul Wasley
The IAAF has announced the latest update on a number of rule changes.
I have not studied all the changes, but I have noted a couple of significant changes.
In field events, the time limits for each competitor’s attempt have been reduced from one minute down to 30 seconds.
The existing time limits remain unchanged where the number of competitors remaining in the competition reduces to three or less.
In relay events, the 10 metre acceleration zone has now become part of the changeover zone, which will increases in size of this zone from 20 metres to 30 metres.
This rule change was one instigated by Athletics New Zealand and will hopefully reduce the number of disqualifications resulting from an early baton change.
I enjoy the television coverage of the Diamond League Series, with the latest meet the Prefontaine Classic held in Eugene last Saturday.
The highlight for me was the women’s 200m, a race I saw as a battle between the Olympic gold medallist Elaine Thompson and silver medallist Dafne Schippers, but it was not to be.
Tori Bowie caused a major upset, running a brilliant bend which saw her clear of the field, an advantage she held to the finish.
Olympic 400m champion Shaunae Miller-uibo was second, with Thompson and Schippers having to settle for third and fourth respectively, just ahead of one of the all-time great 200m runners, Allyson Felix.
The depth of talent in this field is such it will be an event to follow in the series and the world championships.
Another event to follow is the men’s shot put, with the world’s top eight competitors regularly competing against each other, with our own Tom Walsh right in the mix.
The competition heated up, with world champion Joe Kovac making the others sit up and take notice with the second-longest put of 22.57m two weeks ago.
However, he couldn’t reproduce this at Eugene, with his best effort of 21.57m placing him third behind Olympic champion Ryan Crouser 22.43m and Walsh’s 21.71m.