OseiNketia to stick with sprinting
WELLINGTON: Young sprinter Edward OseiNketia has committed to track and field for the next couple of years, after considering a new career in rugby.
OseiNketia (20) entertained switching sports after failing to better the New Zealand 100m record held by his dad, Gus Nketia, and secure selection for the Tokyo Olympics.
But his coach Gary HenleySmith says OseiNketia will be back on the track this summer.
‘‘Eddie is determined to run even faster this year,’’ HenleySmith said.
‘‘I think he’s pretty motivated to try and get his dad’s record and also try and qualify for the world champs as well as the Commonwealth Games.’’
HenleySmith says it was difficult to pick his charge up again after he missed the Olympics.
‘‘There’s no doubt that he was thinking about doing other things and wasn’t quite sure where he was going.
‘‘Rugby, rugby league, he was even thinking about gridiron. There’s been a number of things going through his mind. I think it was a bit of a crossroads for him.
‘‘He was at home [in Canberra] for a number of months talking through with his family where he was going to and they were very supportive of him just training and getting back into the next track season.’’
Ultimately though it was up to OseiNketia to make the call.
‘‘It wasn’t us telling him what to do, it was him making that decision which was really important for him to do because then he’ll be fully committed to that,’’ HenleySmith said.
HenleySmith reminded OseiNketia he is only 20 years old and running faster than a number of the world’s top sprinters at the same age.
‘‘When you look at the Olympians from Tokyo a number of them are 27, 28, 29, 30 . . . so he has some years in him.
‘‘I think he probably realised that he has got a future and . . . he could do something quite special for New Zealand.’’
Gary HenleySmith expects it is only a matter of time before he smashes his dad’s national record of 10.11 secs, which has stood since the 1994 Commonwealth Games.
‘‘There’s no doubt that he has the potential of running very fast. If he stays healthy, looks after himself and does the right thing I think there’s no reason why he can’t run under 10 flat in the next couple of years.’’
The top six in the last two Olympic finals also ran sub10 seconds in the 100m and OseiNketia’s team are ‘‘pretty certain’’ he will become the first New Zealander to achieve the feat. — RNZ