Injury trips up Eliza again
ELIZA McCartney’s comeback was over before it even began, after the champion pole vaulter was a late withdrawal from yesterday’s Potts Classic in Hastings.
Having been dogged by an Achilles injury since her last competitive outing way back in August 2019, the 24-year-old was finally set to return this weekend, as a second Olympic Games looms in her sights (Covid-19 permitting of course).
But despite getting all the way through her warm-up and running with the pole, McCartney was instead reduced to spectator, and to signing autographs on the bank at Mitre 10 Sports Park, after not quite pulling up well enough to feel comfortable jumping.
Her manager, Scott Newman, told Sunday News that it was unfortunately more of ‘‘the same old’’ for the 2016 Olympic bronze medallist, who since Rio has struggled with both hamstring and Achilles issues, including a 2019 diagnosis of a genetic autoimmune disorder that causes tendon inflammation.
‘‘She just wasn’t feeling quite right, just didn’t free up enough, the wind was a little bit tricky, and for a comeback it probably wasn’t worth the risks around it, so she’s decided not to start,’’ Newman said.
‘‘She’s got time on her side, so there’s no rush.’’
Newman said McCartney’s next target may be the Capital Classic in Wellington on February 20, with the national championships in Hastings (March 5-7) another one of ‘‘five or six’’ opportunities for her to jump during the summer.
In McCartney’s absence, 2018 Commonwealth Games representative Olivia McTaggart took victory, equalling her personal best of 4.50m.
The most notable result of the meet came in the men’s 100 metres, where national champion Edward OseiNketia suffered a shock loss to 2020 national bronze medallist Tiaan Whelpton.
The 20-year-old from Christchurch scorched a time of 10.37 seconds in his heat, where Osei-Nketia was second in 10.70, then backed that up with 10.47 in the final.
Osei-Nketia was second in 10.61, while 2018 Commonwealth
Games semifinalist Joseph Millar finished third with 10.79. Whelpton, who has a personal best of 10.31, recorded in Auckland in December 2019, Meanwhile, a muchanticipated women’s hammer throw showdown between
national record holder Lauren Bruce and two-time Commonwealth Games medallist (gold in 2018, silver in 2014) Julia Ratcliffe turned into a fizzer, after the latter threw three fouls.
Bruce had smashed Ratcliffe’s national record last September
in Hastings with a 73.47m effort, and, after sending down throws of 67.96m, 69.83m, 68.99m and 69.11m yesterday, the 23-year-old then finished in style with a markedly bigger 72.28m.
That made for an easy victory, way ahead of secondplace-getter Lexi Maples’ 50.18m.