Sprinter completes double
Sprinter Joseph Millar completed the 100m and 200m double at the Capital Classic, a Commonwealth Games trial, but didn’t meet qualifying standards in Whanganui on Saturday.
Millar won the 200m trial in an impressive 20.68sec – just 0.24sec outside the B standard qualifying mark – but was aided by an unfair tail wind after officials changed the track configuration to spare athletes from storming into a head wind.
The Tauranga athlete, who last year broke Chris Donaldson’s 1997 200m record when he clocked 20.37sec in Hamilton, comfortably beat William Smart (21.55sec) and third-placed Alex Haye (22.12sec).
The meeting, relocated from Wellington to Whanganui due to delays in laying a new track in the capital, was the first of three Commonwealth Games trial meets this month.
Whanganui will host the Cooks Classic on Tuesday, before the Potts Classic is held in Hastings on Saturday.
Running into a strong head wind, Millar ambled to a win in the men’s 100m in 11.25sec, ahead of Scott Walker and William Smart, who both crossed in 11.38sec.
Marlborough’s Lucy Sheat took out the women’s 200m trial, recording a hand-timed 23.6sec with an over-strength tail wind. Fiona Centers and Anna Hayward filled the minor placings.
Zoe Hobbs recorded 12.10sec into the wind to take out the women’s 100m from Livvy Wilson (12.37sec) and Kelsey Berryman (12.46sec).
Angie Petty confirmed her position as New Zealand’s top female middle-distance athlete with a convincing win in the 1500m trial. She crossed in 4min 20.75sec, 10 seconds ahead of runner-up Esther Keown.
Petty was not happy with the time but running the entire race from the front ensured the strong wind gassed her.
The men’s 800m trial went to national junior recordholder James Preston in 1min 51.05sec. Sam Petty was a close second, in 1min 51.57sec. Preston is coming back to the form which saw him set a national under-20 record of 1min 48.06sec at the world under20 championships in 2016.
Siositina Hakeai beat arch-rival Te Rina Keenan in the women’s discus trial, throwing 55.04m to her training partners 52.64m. Commonwealth youth silver medallist Tatiana Kaumoana filled third place with 44.36m. Unfavourable winds meant the athletes did not get close to the 59.30m B standard for Commonwealth Games nomination.
The men’s discus was won by Alex Parkinson with 52.19m while Commonwealth youth champion Connor Bell recorded 54.93m.
Matt Walsh was out to a handy 6.90m in the men’s long jump while Emma Ryan had the longest throw (11.62m) in the combined shotput contest.