Marshall Hall (Taieri) showed why he is the No 1-ranked
discus thrower in the country at the interclub meeting in
Mosgiel on Saturday.
Hall cut an imposing figure in the circle and tested the
measuring tape with a winning throw of 44.51m.
A New Zealand under-18 basketball representative and Nuggets
training squad member before a back injury forced him to
rest, Hall is now focused on the discus after the demise of
the Nuggets franchise.
Before injuring his back 12 months ago, Hall (20) had already
become an international, winning a silver medal in Oceania
competition.
He was also the national junior discus champion, and was
disappointed at not being able to defend the title last year,
so he is hoping for big things in his first year at senior
level.
Although pleased to have come through Saturday's competition
with the win and free of injury, Hall was disappointed at
throwing under 45m.
"I haven't hit what I've been doing in training," he said.
"Once it comes together, it's going to fly."
Because of his top ranking, Hall will be a member of the
national squad competing in the Australia Cup meeting in
Brisbane next weekend.
"I'm hoping for 50m," he said.
"I know it's there. I've just got to get out and do it."
The season then gets into full swing for Hall, who will make
a slow start to his year of psychology and marketing studies.
On February 20 he will contest an IFF permit meeting in
Auckland, then two weeks later the Auckland track and field
championships followed by the national championships at the
end of March.
He will then have the Australian under-20 and under-23
championships in Adelaide in early April.
Middle-distance events proved a highlight on the track on
Saturday, with the 1500m as physical as it was competitive.
A four-way battle developed early between James List (Ariki)
and the Caversham trio of Tony Payne, Lyndon Brown and Daniel
Balchin.
But entering the second lap Balchin and List were side by
side and words were exchanged.
The pair settled down, with List content to sit behind
Balchin until 200m out, when he took a wide berth turning
into the home straight to overtake Balchin and out-sprint him
to the line and record 4min 6.10sec.
The four were in action little more than an hour later to
dominate the 5000m, which turned into a cat-and-mouse affair
after a pedestrian start eventually forced List to take up
the pace at the front.
That played into the hands of Balchin, who was able to power
away over the closing stages to win comfortably in 15min
59.40sec.
Payne, the recently crowned national junior 10,000m track
champion, finished strongly to claim second in 16min 5.20sec
with List third in 16min 16.20sec.
Other highlights of the meeting were: Mark Flaus (Gore) won
the open men's weight pentathlon, amassing 2727 points.
Winifred Harding (Leith) was the best of the women, with 2730
points.
Noni Callender broke her own Otago women's 60 record with
2580 points while equalling her Otago weight record with a
distance of 7.72m during competition.
Despite a convincing win, Kathryn Radford (Taieri) described
her victory in the short hurdles as "rubbish".
It was the 20 year-old personal trainer's first race back
from a hamstring injury and her first race as a senior, and
she appeared to be concerned with the grass track or her
technique as she finished in 18.20sec.
Megan McPhail (North Otago) took out the 100m and 200m
women's sprint double, winning the 100m in 13.20sec and 200m
in 27.70sec.
Chris Donaldson (Hill City) won the men's 100m in 10.70sec
and Toby Flett (Hill City) the 200m in 23.40sec.
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