Home town hero Carson claims title

Local hero Hamish Carson played the waiting game at the New Zealand 3000m championships in Wellington at the Capital Classic on Friday, pouncing in the home straight to take his third national title over the distance.

The Rio Olympian sat in the bunch, always handy to the lead, first taken up by Australian Josh Torley and covered all the moves. Aaron Pulford made the first move with two laps to go but he was hauled in by Napier’s Eric Speakman.

Carson was never far from Speakman who pushed as hard as he could to get away, but in the end the Wellingtonian had too much speed and went on to win in 8 minutes 5.25 seconds.

Speakman was close behind in 8:05.73 and 19-year-old Daniel Hoy (Auckland) third in 8:10.45, a personal best by almost 12 seconds.

Laura Nagel ran a similar race to Carson, sitting on the pace of national half marathon champion Olivia Burne before launching an attack with a just under a lap to run. The Napier athlete won in 9:22.73, with Aucklander Burne second in 9:27.23 and Esther Keown third in 9:33.28. It was her third national title in six months, having won the cross country and 10km road titles in 2016.

Katherine Camp delivered one of the surprises of the meeting, handing Olympian Angie Petty a rare domestic defeat over 800m, bursting through on the inside over the last 50m and going on to win in 2:06.03, a meeting record. Petty finished in 2:06.37, with Katrina Anderson third.

The men’s 800m also saw a meeting record with Australian Alex Rowe winning in 1:48.42 from Otago’s Sam Bremer and Sam Petty (Canterbury).

Shot putter Maddison Wesche set the third new meeting record, winning the women’s shot put with 15.36m, adding over half a metre to her personal best.

Joseph Millar delivered an impressive sprint double of 10.49s for 100m and 21.30s for 200m, while Kelsey Berryman (100m) and Lucy Sheat (200m) split the women’s sprint races. Berryman also won the long jump.

Hannah O’Connor and Jared Lautenslager took out the under 20 1500m races, to repeat their wins from Tuesday in the U20 3000m championships in Whanganui.

The tricky winds did not favour the pole vaulters but Olivia McTaggart and Nic Southgate were winners at 4.00m and 5.00m respectively.

Up and over goes pole vaulter Olivia McTaggart at the Capital Classic athletics meet at Newtown Park in Wellington.

Australian Alexander Rowe distances the men’s 800m field to win in a Capital Classic meet record.

Hamish Carson sprints to victory in the New Zealand men’s 3000m at Newtown Park in Wellington, with Eric Speakman second.