A blistering turn of pace from the start saw Oli Chignell (Hill City-University), make a successful defence of the open men's title in the Edmond Cup Steeplechase at Wingatui Racecourse on Saturday.
The first-year physical education student confronted a high-class field containing no fewer than three internationals who have won the 110-year-old trophy in recent times.
Last year, Chignell (now 18) became the youngest winner of the prestigious trophy since T.
Wilson (Olympic, Wellington), won the crown in 1921 as a 16-year-old. Chignell was aged 17 years 134 days when he won last year.
His goal on Saturday was to approach the defence of the open men's trophy no differently than any other race, with an attempt to break the field up from the start.
The only runner to hold on to Chignell's blistering pace over the first of two laps, in what has now been reduced to a 5km event in keeping with the original three-miler at Forbury Park in 1907, was Hill City-University club mate Kirk Madgwick.
Madgwick hauled Chignell in at the top end of the back straight and appeared to pose a threat as the two entered the second lap. But on the turn into the back straight, Chignell had what he termed ‘‘a really good steeple''. He flew over the barrier across the track, and opened a slight but encouraging 2m gap. He continued to expand that gap all the way up the back straight before making another good clearance of the barrier at the top of the back straight, then at the water jump at the top end of the course.‘‘All three jumps on the second lap were essentially perfect,''he said.
Chignell said his pace on the second lap was just a subtle little wind-up, but admitted he had a glance behind on the 90deg turn into the home straight to check if he needed to do any more in securing the title.‘‘It was probably the best I've felt about a race for quite a long time.''Chignell's time of 16min 2sec was a good minute quicker than the 17min 40sec he clocked for the title last year, on a 5.4km course. Madgwick finished second in 16min 9.6sec, while Blair Martin (Caversham) showed he was still a force to reckon with in open events, finishing third in 16min 49.5sec.
Martin won the title in 1993 as an 18-year-old and remains the third youngest to have won it, at 18 years 56 days.
Another teenager to make a successful return to the Edmond Cup podium was Hanna English (Ariki), who won the open women's title, her second in three years, in 19min 6.4sec.‘‘It was good to get a good hit-out on a tough, boggy course,'' she said after her victory.
English (19), who recently returned to Dunedin from Auckland and her studies at Auckland University, won the senior girls title in national secondary schools cross-country and road championships last year, and won the open women's title of the Edmond Cup event in 2014 as a 17-year-old.
She used the race on Saturday as strength and conditioning, with a focus on her technique after a fast start. Her goal was to go out hard and finish strong.
Another secret to English securing her second Edmond Cup title was her rivalry with Mark O'Donnell (Leith) in a combined open men's and women's field.‘‘It was good to be back racing in Dunedin and renewing some of the old rivalries,'' she said with a smile.
English heads off to take up an athletics scholarship in San Francisco in August.
The coveted senior inter-club team title synonymous with this event was won by Hill City-University in the open men's grade with 39 points from its team of six, after winning its first since 1993 last year. The open women's team title was won by Caversham with 22 points from its team of four.
