World title leaves Beamish with plenty to ponder
Kiwi athletics’ man of the moment Geordie Beamish has some big decisions to make ahead of the Paris Olympic Games, and unlike, say, the final few hundred metres of one of his races, he’s in no rush to get there.
The 27-year-old with the finishing kick like a mule ran his way into Kiwi sporting folklore in Glasgow on Monday (NZT) when he became New Zealand’s first world champion over the 1500 metres, to put the icing on the cake of an historic meet.
Beamish’s stunning upset victory rounded out a successful world indoor championships for the New Zealand team, with four medals representing their greatest haul on the global stage. Beamish and high jumper Hamish Kerr, in the early session on the final day, both won golds, while pole vaulter Eliza McCartney and shot put star Tom Walsh both nabbed silvers.
Remarkably, the medal haul – matching New Zealand’s total from the Rio Olympics – placed the team third on the overall table, behind only the United States and Belgium.
When you throw in that there were also two fourth placings – Maddi Wesche in the shot and Zoe Hobbs in the 60m – and a fifth (Jacko Gill in the men’s shot), the road to Paris appears paved with promise.
And there can be no doubting Beamish’s status as the rising star of New Zealand track and field.
The tall, lean athlete with the flowing locks and bright personality captured the imagination of the sport with his withering finish in Glasgow to haul in Americans Cole Hocker and Hobbs Kessler over the final 100m, providing one of the highlights of the meet.
And to say he now has options is something of an understatement.
Beamish is fresh off a stellar debut season in 2023 over the 3000m steeplechase which saw him smash the national record (8min 13.26sec) and nab a fast-finishing fifth at the world championships in Budapest.
Then, earlier this year, he smashed Adrian Blincoe’s 16-year-old national record for the 5000m in Boston.
He has already qualified for Paris for both the steeplechase and 5000 metres, and now he might also like to consider the 1500 after his stellar effort in Glasgow.
Beamish told Stuff from Glasgow, shortly before returning to the US, where he trains with the On Racing group in Boulder, Colorado, that he was conscious of having options for Paris, and that he was well aware of the advantages that proffered.
“I’m in a really fortunate position, and don’t want to take it for granted,” he said. “I will get back to Boulder and get stuck into some training for Paris, and we’ll see where that takes us.
“That decision doesn’t need to happen tonight. So, we’ll just wait and see. It’s really nice to have options, but the training doesn’t really change, regardless of what event I pick.”
Given the Paris schedule, it would be extremely difficult to do the steeples-5k double. The heats of the 5000 are scheduled for the morning of day 7 in Paris, and the steeples final will be in the evening of the same day.
Even throwing in the 1500 would be problematic. The first round is on the morning of day 2, the semifinals the evening of day 4 and the final the night of day 6 – roughly 24 hours before the steeples final.
So, clearly Beamish has some thinking to do.
As for that finishing kick that is fast becoming the Kiwi’s trademark, he admits it’s nice to have it in his “backpocket” in races where he inevitably finds himself having to make up ground late.
“I feel like nine times out of 10 it’s there, and I can run the last 150-200 with anyone in the world. It’s a lot of fun to be able to produce that. I think it gives my family a heart attack – they don’t like watching me race like that.
“But I hope it brings a lot of joy to people watching. We’re trying to put on a spectacle and provide some entertainment. I hope I’m not just remembered for winning, but the way I win. And I hope it puts a smile on people’s faces.”
It certainly did for the growing legion of Kiwi athletics fans on Monday.