Athletics: Race walker set for international debut

[1]

Race walker Roseanne Robinson (Ariki) trains for next month's Trans Tasman test at the Andersons's Bay inlet yesterday. Photo by Linda Robertson.

Roseanne Robinson (Ariki) will make her international debut against Australia next month.

Roseanne (19), a physical education student at the University of Otago, will represent New Zealand for the first time in the Trans Tasman walking test against Australia at Hobart next month.

She follows in the footsteps of her father, Geoff Robinson, who represented New Zealand in ultra-distance running from 1992 to 1997 and at the World Masters duathlon in 2006.

He won the New Zealand 100km title in 1997 and his best international performance was to finish 18th in the world championships in Canada the same year.

"I'm overwhelmed by the news," Roseanne told the Otago Daily Times yesterday.

"It is very exciting to represent your country. It's always been a dream of mine to follow Dad and compete for New Zealand. It feels good."

Roseanne will compete in the 20km road walk against Australia on February 13.

Her best time for the distance is 1hr 52min and she just needs to improve her time by two minutes to be selected for the World Cup in Mexico in May.

Roseanne was aged 14 when she started race walking at Whangamata on the Coromandel Peninsula and finished fourth in the North Island secondary schools championships.

She was encouraged at this time because a physical education teacher told her that she had the basic technique and could go far in the event.

Roseanne was living in Blenheim when she won her first medal in the walks, finishing runner-up at the New Zealand secondary schools championships in 2008.

She has made rapid progress since being coached by Christchurch walking specialist John Henderson and proved it last year by winning three medals at New Zealand championships.

Roseanne won gold medals in the women's 19-and-under 3km track walk and the 5km road walk and a silver medal in the 10km walk.

She was selected for the Trans Tasman event after finishing runner-up in the national trial in Auckland earlier this month.

Her long-term goal is to represent New Zealand at the Olympics.

"I have smaller goals along the way to help me improve my times and techniques," Roseanne said.

She is dedicated to the sport and trains between one and two hours a day for six days each week.

"I prefer to train on the road, but I also do a few repetitions on the track to develop my fast-twitch muscles," she said.

Roseanne sees the Trans Tasman test as a challenge.

"I'm confident that I will step up and learn more to get me to the position I want to be in the future," she said.

"With a Dad like I have pushing me on, I'm confident I'll get there. I'm just stoked to be competing for New Zealand."