Multisport: Davies overcomes slow start to break decathlon record

Dunedin auto technician Paul Davies (Taieri) put to rest a ''hard week at the office'' with a record breaking win in the Otago decathlon championships held at the Caledonian Ground over the weekend.

The first five events of the championship were held in miserable conditions on Saturday, adding to Davies feeling below par with his 100m, long jump, shot put, high jump and 400m scores.

But he bounced back in perfect conditions yesterday morning to contest the final five disciplines (100m hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin and 1500m), and finish with a score of 4212 points, breaking the men's 50 54 age group record established in 2010 by Ian Craven (Hill City University), of 4049 points.

''I had a bad day on Saturday, and the weather didn't help,'' Davies said after concluding the competition yesterday.

''But it was good to bounce back and get the record.''

Davies went into the decathlon championship targeting 4600 points and as preparation for national competition early next month.

''It would have been nice. Next year, maybe.''

In the other grades, Claire Giles (Caversham) won the women's 35 pentathlon, scoring 2426 points and Gene Sanderson (Ariki) the men's 60 pentathlon, with 1304 points.

But senior and junior fields fell away as competition progressed and it became the survival of the fittest. Kylie Lyders (Taieri) won the junior women's heptathlon title, scoring 2726 points and Chenoa Metua (Ariki) the youth women's 17 title, scoring 3318 points.

Technical age group rulings came into play in a competitive men's 14 and under battle for the octathlon title. Hamish Mears won with 3046 points.

Rounding off the weekend's competition yesterday was the Otago 3000m steeplechase championship. Jonah Smith (Caversham) made a successful defence of the senior men's title.

Smith (20), a second year English student at the University of Otago, made good clearance at the jumps and despite admitting he felt the Ness Cup Mile race in his legs, made his victory appear effortless in 10min 38.06sec.

''The mile yesterday pinched the sharpness from my legs,'' Smith said afterwards of going outside his personal best time of 10min 23sec.

 

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