Athletics: Former Otago champion in running for NZ title

There will be a strong Otago presence at the national cross-country championships at the Halswell Quarry course in Christchurch today.

Among the pre-race favourites to lift the national title is 2005 Otago champion Andrew Davidson, now based in Christchurch.

Davidson competed for the Otago University Club while studying medicine and became the first runner from the club since Euan Robertson, 30 years previously, to win the Otago title.

He also joined a select group of Olympic and Commonwealth Games athletes from the Otago University Club that included Robertson, Bruce Cowan and Peter Welsh to have won the Otago title in the colours of the University club.

Davidson has earned the favouritism tag for today's event following some impressive results over recent weeks, including both the North Island and Canterbury titles.

He outsmarted 2007 national champion Edwin Henshaw (Auckland) to win the North Island title in Taupo, and then set up a 43sec victory over Dunedin Marathon champion and University of Canterbury club-mate Rowan Hooper to win the Canterbury title in an impressive 39min 27sec, two weeks ago on the Halswell Quarry course.

In the 2007 national championship, Davidson was fourth, and he was sixth last year at Waikanae.

Hooper finished runner-up on both occasions.

The New Zealand cross-country, which incorporates the Oceania cross-country championships for the first time, has attracted Australian Timothy Rowe, from New South Wales.

Also crossing the Tasman are Australian-based Shaun Krawitz and 2006 Otago champion Luke Hurring.

Krawitz was the 2002 New Zealand under-18 champion and will represent Australia, while Hurring will be a member of the strong Canterbury line-up.

Also expected to be in the front running will be Wellington champion Rees Buck, Kim Hogarth (Nelson), Sam Dobson (Auckland), six-time champion Phil Costley (Canterbury) and Otago's Dougal Thorburn.

Thorburn is expected to lead a strong challenge for a medal in the regional teams' section, with an Otago line-up including Otago champion Nathan Baxter, Callan Moody, Lyndon Brown, James List, Oliver O'Sullivan, Tony Payne, Bevan Stevens and Neale McLanachan, who are all capable of finishing in the top half of the field.

Her recent victory in the North Island championship, backed up with a second place to Shireen Crumpton in the Otago event, has seen Otago's Rachel Kingsford listed among the early favourites for the 8km senior women's title.

But standing in her way is an impressive line-up including Canterbury champion Fiona Crombie and Auckland's Hannah Lawrence.

Also in the mix is seven-time champion Melissa Moon (Wellington).

Another to watch will be Sarah Biss (Waikato Bay of Plenty), the 1994 under-18 champion and 1996 under-20 champion.

Otago athletes are expected to feature in the graded events, with national 3000m champion Anna-Lisa Uttley, Caitlin O'Brien, Laura Andrew, Shauna Pali and Katrina Andrew favoured in the girls' under-16 grade.

Cameron McNoe is favoured to medal in the boys' under-16 race.

Otago's Barbara Roy is a strong favourite in the under-19 grade.

Roy finished third in last year's national event and will be confident after winning the Otago junior title.

Otago junior champion Campbell Garry leads the under-19 team, with Daniel Balchin, Alex Gorrie, William Scorgie and Ben Anderson all capable of top-10 finishes.