Top athletes make early season statements at Cooks

Whanganui's leading middle distance specialists Rebecca Baker (pictured) and Liam Back make early season statements on Tuesday night.

Whanganui's two leading middle-distance runners, Liam Back and Rebecca Baker, made a clear early season statement, winning their respective 800m races in impressive manner on a cold Cooks Gardens on Tuesday evening.

Travis Bayler, a 400m runner, took the field though in 56s, exactly as requested. Bayler held on for the next 120m leaving Back in the clear and on his own for the final 280m. Back stopped the clock in a hand-timed (there was a fault with the electronic timing) of 1m 53.8s which was a three-second personal best and moves the 1500m and 3000m specialist to No 3 on the Wanganui Collegiate all-time rankings. More significantly he produced the fastest 800m time in the country this calendar year for an under-18 athlete.

Joseph Sinclair, who beat Back over 600m last week, unfortunately found the early pace too fast, finishing second in 2:02.5 just ahead of training partner Zach Bellamy (2:02.8).

Rebecca Baker also had 400m runners to set the pace in the shape of Grace Godfrey and Tayla Brunger. They too took the field though 500m in the exact prescribed pace.

Baker moved clear of 400m schools international Emma Osborne to record an outstanding personal best of 2:15.43 which took the NZ Schools Cross Country international to No 5 on the New Zealand rankings. Osborne held off the challenge of promising 14-year-old Ana Brabyn for second with respective times of 2:21.07 and 2:21.177.

The club holds a popular Masters Event each week and, as we move towards the New Zealand Masters in early February, more events will be added. Brian Carlson won the Masters 800m (2:30.03) from hard working club official Mark Cressingham (2:45.92).

Next week's feature Masters event is 1500m.

George Lambert set a personal best 9:19.58 following close to Liam Back who had agreed to help Lambert through the 7½ laps. New Zealand Duathlon Representative Ethan Gillespie finished third behind Back and Lambert (9:54.89) with young Elliot Jones a place behind with a personal best (10:49.97) holding off the late challenge of Ashleigh Alabaster the leading female runner who also set a best (10; 53.28).

Leading sprinters Genna Maples and Tayla Brunger had a close competitive race over 200m with Maples winning in 25.62 and Brunger recording 26.81. This was a best opening season run for both athletes which bodes well for the season ahead.

Maples runs both 100m and 200m at the opening Regional League Meeting in Hastings at the weekend while Brunger will join Emma Osborne in Christchurch at a national 400m camp.

Connor Munro ran a personal best 200m (23.40s) for an upset win over Travis Bayler while his sister Paris, who had in April won the North Island under-14 70m title, moved up to 80m hurdles to win in 13.5s for a good introduction to the event. Munro stepped up a few minutes later to win the 100m hurdles in 16.5s from the older 300m hurdle specialist Sophie Redmayne.

In the field, the high jump was won by triple jump New Zealand under-18 medal winner Keiran Pere. Pere, a novice high jump competitor, confessed prior to competing he did not know what foot to take off in the vertical jump. He obviously solved his problem, winning with a 1.70m jump. Emma Bedford won the female event, recording 1.45m and getting tantalisingly close to 1.50m.

A large group will make the journey to Hastings to compete in the first of three Regional League Meetings. These provide good early season interclub competition and, with only five weeks to the New Zealand Schools Championships, provide vital preparation for school-age athletes. The second of these meets is only a week later on November 3 in Palmerston North.

The final meet is strategically placed a fortnight prior to the NZ Schools in Wellington on Saturday, November 17. These meetings provide an exciting start to the new season.

By Alex McNab
Athletic Insight
Whanganui Chronicle 25/10/18