Ben to represent NZ at Oceania championships
Ben Lambert, a Paraparaumu College student and Paraparaumu Track and Field Club member, has been selected to represent New Zealand at the Oceania Area Championships in Australia this June. Ka¯ piti News caught up with the rising track star.
■ How did you find out you were selected into the team?
The announcement to athletes was pretty low key — an email was sent to my dad about an hour before the team was officially published.
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What was your selection reaction?
Given the tailend of the season was cut short because of Covid, I was stoked to have the opportunity to build on the improvements I made last season without needing to work through the preseason slog first.
Also, once I saw the quality of the rest of the team — particularly in the senior grades — I realised that this would be a reasonably elite environment to be part of, which furthered my excitement. ■
What was the criteria for the team’s selection?
To be selected, one had to compete at the National Track and Field Champs in early March. The selection committee then chose
athletes based on national competitiveness and proven consistency over the past season. I run sub-11 both at nationals and at the Potts Classic in January, as well as having run numerous low 11 second times across the season, which fulfilled the criteria.
■ What events will you be competing in?
The under 18 men 100m and 4x100m relay.
■ When and where are the championships being held?
The championships are in Mackay, Queensland, from June 7-11.
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What do you have to do between now and then trainingwise?
Because I’m only running the 100m, the focus will be on ensuring that my top-end speed is as quick as possible, as well as building on acceleration work. This means that I won’t run long distances, but short distances quickly. My weakest point at nationals was my start, so my coach (my dad) and I will probably spend some time working on minimising any inefficient movements during the early stages of the race in an attempt to get everything working as smoothly as possible. The challenging part with this will be the weather heading into winter; with no indoor facilities and the nearest all-weather track an hour away, there won’t be much room to follow a rigid schedule. We’ll likely have to improvise.