Another PB for Langton-burnell

Great news from Hamilton, where last Saturday Ben Langtonburnell produced a big personal best, tossing the javelin to 82.44m.

This mark bettered his previous best by almost 2m, but more importantly it is another throw beyond the Commonwealth Games selection standard and only 56cm off the qualification mark for the world championships.

Also competing at the Hamilton meeting was Ariana Blackwood, who ran a 2sec personal best for 600m, showing she is in good shape for the Oceania championships next month.

Last Saturday several Manawatu athletes ventured to the capital to take on Wellington’s top harriers in the Dorne Cup.

With the event scheduled a week out from the New Zealand secondary schools championships, it provided not only top competition, but also the opportunity to get used to running in larger fields. It was the ideal final preparation for our secondary school athletes.

In the women’s race Kara Macdermid came fourth, one place ahead of former club member Melissa Black. Monica Burnard was 10th.

In the boys’ under-15 grade Liam Wall was fourth. Benjamin Wall achieved the best Manawatu placing with third in the under-18 event, a race Noah Macdermid finished sixth in.

In the senior men’s race David Lovelock was our top finisher in 21st place, with Liam Woolford back in 35th place.

Lance Gray was the 36th finisher in the masters 40 grade, with Rob Dabb 23rd in the masters 50 grade, a race in which former Palmerston North club member Jim Jones was third.

This weekend Christchurch will host the New Zealand secondary school championships.

Unfortunately when I checked the confirmed entry listing for these championships, Palmerston North Boys’ High School had the only local entries I could locate, so I am uncertain of who else is travelling south.

Boys’ High should be competitive in the senior boys four-person teams competition, with Alex Hull, Benjamin Wall, Samuel Phillips and Sam Bentham making up a strong team.

Unfortunately illness meant Harrison Porritt had to withdraw.

Liam Wall and Andre Le Pine-day are the school’s entry in the junior event.

Tessa Webb is the defending senior girls’ titleholder, but could have her work cut out defending her title, as I expect her to come up against last year’s junior titleholder, Hannah O’connor, who has had the better of her in recent competition.

I like the Olympic federation decision to add a mixed 4x400m relay to the programme for the 2020 Olympics.

I hope Athletics NZ follows and includes this event in our national championships and it filters down to club and regional competitions.

I can certainly see the event becoming popular with the smaller centres, who may struggle to get a competitive single sex team together, but could probably put out a good mixed team.

I’m uncertain if there will be rules pertaining to running order; hopefully not as I can see much of the excitement of the race resulting from team tactics in determining the running order.

Congratulations to Peter Jack on being recognised in the Queen’s Birthday honours list.

Peter’s association with the sport and in particular the Kiwi club in Wellington goes back as long as I can remember.

An important notice for all those interested in the winter track and field series.

The venues for the first two meetings have been swapped around with the series now starting in Palmerston North on Sunday, June 25, and Masterton hosting the July 16 meeting. The timetable for the first meeting is: Track: 1pm: 100m; 1.20pm: 1000m, 3000m, 5000m; 1.50pm: 1500m; 2.10pm: 400m or 2x200m.

Field: 1pm: Discus/hammer; 1pm: high jump; 1.45pm: shot; 1.45pm: long jump.

All the best to Matt Field as he heads off to the World Transplant Games.

If he is looking for inspiration, he needs to look no further than American Aries Merritt, one of the world’s leading 110m hurdlers before his kidney transplant.

At the most recent Diamond League meeting, Merritt showed the transplant hasn’t slowed him, down winning the high hurdles in impressive style.