Athletics: Childhood dream now reality for 400m runner

Brooke Cull. Photo by Gerard O'Brien.
Brooke Cull. Photo by Gerard O'Brien.
Otago University student Brooke Cull has received a boost of energy since being named for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

Cull (20), a third-year sociology and psychology student at the University of Otago, is the second-ranked member of the New Zealand women's 4x400m relay team that reached the qualifying standard in Hamilton at Easter.

Cull has had the dream of competing at a Commonwealth Games since she started running at the age of 5.

''It has become a more real dream over the last few years and now it has come true,'' she said.

''I have had the relay in mind over the last 12 months but obviously I had to do an individual time in the 400m to show that I could do it.''

Last summer was a stellar season for Cull, who improved her 400m time by nearly 4sec to 53.85sec when she came fifth at the Australian championships in Melbourne.

The fastest member of the team is Louise Jones (Auckland) at 53.29sec.

''It was a huge drop,'' she said.

''That is what got me into the team.''

What made the difference?

''I just trained extremely hard with my coaches Rochelle Coster and Joe Hunter, of the Takapuna Club,'' Cull said.

''It worked well. It was a successful season.''

Cull learned of her selection in the team on the Athletics New Zealand website.

''I was over the moon when I heard the official announcement,'' Cull said.

''I was so happy when it was officially announced.''

Six runners have been named in the squad to go to Glasgow and four will race at the Games.

Cull has two weeks' training in Dunedin before she flies back to her home town of Auckland on June 18.

She will have a week at home before flying to the Gold Coast for competition before leaving for London on July 9.

The New Zealand team will compete twice in Wales before moving to the Games village in Glasgow.

The relay team is ranked eighth in the Commonwealth.

''If we make the final anything can happen because we are all peaking for the Games,'' Cull said.

Cull had her first taste of international athletics at the Pacific Schools Games in 2008 and won a bronze medal in the 400m at the Oceania Games in Cairns in 2012.

• Rozie Robinson (Otago) won the New Zealand women's 15km road walk title in 1hr 25min 35sec last weekend despite constant knee problems.

Robinson said from Christchurch that ''what makes the win significant to me is that it came on the same day that my fellow international race walker Lesley Cantwell (Te Anau) died in Tahiti after winning the 5km walk title at the Oceania championships in a personal-best time.

"At that time I pledged to win a gold medal in her memory but my knee injury and surgery prevented this until last Saturday.''

 

 


Brooke Cull
At a glance

 

Age: 20.

Home town: Auckland.

Education: Takapuna HS, University of Otago.

Sport: Athletics.

Event: 4 x 400m relay.

Coaches: Rochelle Coster, Joe Hunter.

International record: Pacific schools games 2008, Oceania champs 2012 (400m bronze medal).

Best times: 100m (12.04sec), 200m (25.01sec), 400m (53.85sec).


 

 

Add a Comment