New Zealand representatives Daniel Balchin (left) and
Lyndon Brown clear the water jump while training at the
Caledonian Ground this week. Photo by Linda Robertson.
Caversham steeplechasers Daniel Balchin and Lyndon Brown
will reach a significant milestone in their athletics careers
when they make their international debut for New Zealand at
Auckland on Saturday.
The other Otago member of the New Zealand team for the
transtasman under-21 test against Australia at the Douglas
Track in Waitakere is Rebekah Greene (Hill City), in the
women's 1500m.
Balchin (19) and Brown (21) have been selected for the 3km
steeplechase and both will be looking to improve
theirpersonal best times.
Balchin, a second-year civil engineering student at the
University of Otago, has a best steeplechase time of 9min
27sec and will be attempting to break the Otago men's aged 19
record of 9min 19.47sec run by Max Smith (Ariki) in 2002.
He started serious running at Kavanagh College in 2003 and
has won four medals at national championships, including
steeplechase silvers at the national secondary schools
championships in 2008 and at the national club championships
last year.
"My selection was a surprise but I'm happy about it," Balchin
said.
"I want to break the Otago record on Saturday."
He is the first athlete trained by Mike Weddell to be
selected for New Zealand.
It is the second New Zealand representative for Dave Stinson,
who coaches Brown.
His other international was Bevan Stevens.
Brown found he had been selected when he browsed the
Athletics New Zealand website.
"I had the fastest ranking time in the steeplechase but I
thought I'd missed selection because the team was announced
late," Brown said.
He hopes to reduce his best 3km steeplechase time of 9min
37sec at Auckland.
"The time doesn't reflect where I'm at," Brown said.
"I know I can run faster."
Brown has won six individual medals at national
championships, including a bronze medal in the under-19 3km
steeplechase in 2006 and a silver medal in the same event a
year later.
Brown is an architecture draughting graduate from the
University of Otago and is now studying surveying.
His brother Robert won a silver medal in the junior boys 800m
at the national secondary schools championships in 2006.
Otago steeplechasers
Rising stars
Daniel Balchin
Age: 19
Education: Kavanagh College, University of Otago
Occupation: Civil engineering student.
Club: Caversham
Record: NZ rep 3km steeplechase 2010
Best times: 800m (2min 01sec), 1500m (3min 57sec),
3000m (8min 38sec), 3km steeplechase (9min 27sec), 5000m
(14min 56sec).
Lyndon Brown
Age: 21
Education: Kings HS, University of Otago
Occupation: Quality surveying student
Club: Caversham
Record: NZ rep 3km steeplechase 2010
Best times: 800m (2min 07sec), 1500m (4min 14sec),
3000m (9min 01sec), 3km steeplechase 9min 37sec), 5000m
(15min 40sec), 10,000m (32min 40sec).
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