Click photo to enlarge
Race walker Roseanne Robinson (Ariki) trains for next
month's Trans Tasman test at the Andersons's Bay inlet
yesterday. Photo by Linda Robertson.
First Dad, now his daughter.
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."
