Otago athletes have made a sound start to the new year on the track and field.
They returned home with several podium placings at the Lovelock Classic in Timaru at the weekend.
Among the top performers were Hill City-University sprinters Sadye Kawau and Sylvie Haig.
Kawau won the women’s 200m in 26.37sec and Haig was second with 26.92sec.
Kawau was runner-up in the women’s 100m in 13.01sec, while Haig finished third in 13.13sec.
North Otago’s Schuyler Orr was second in the men’s 100m in 11.14sec.
Leith runner Alice Cuthbert won the women’s 800m in 2min22.92sec and club-mate Stephen Johnson was second in the men’s event in 1min 55.68sec.
HCU runner Nicolas Alvarez Re-Virag was third in 1min 55.90sec.
HCU athlete Luke Moffitt won bronze in the men’s shot put with a distance of 11.72m and the men’s long jump with a leap of 6.79m.
Taieri long jumper Ohara Couch won the women’s event with a best jump of 5.09m and club-mate Tila Te Whare picked up third with a distance of 4.80m.
Taieri thrower Rorie Poff (F34) won the men’s para shot put with a distance of 8.18m, while fellow Taieri thrower Josh Chisholm (F40) was second with 4.45m.
Thomas Richards (Christchurch Avon) won the national men’s 10,000m championships in a time of 32min 24.13sec.
Sally Gibbs (Athletics Manawatu Wanganui) was the only athlete in the women’s edition, coming home in 40min 6.90sec.
She broke her own record to become the oldest winner of a national senior women’s title at 62.
— Rotorua runner Hannah Gapes (34min 1sec) finished 19th in the senior women’s 10km at the world cross-country championships in Tallahassee yesterday.
The New Zealand team were tested with humidity about 90% leaving several athletes unable to finish the course.
Sophie Hicks (58th) and Katrina Andrew (62nd) rounded out the Kiwi women in the 10km.
In the senior men’s race, Toby Gualter was the first New Zealander home to finish 47th, followed by MacCallum Rowe (58th), William Little (73rd) and Taonga Mbambo (96th).
Otago’s Oliver Chignell and Connor Melton did not finish.
The senior mixed 4x2km relay — comprising Christian De Vaal, Tillie Hollyer, David Lee and Boh Ritchie — finished 14th.
Scarlett Robb was 48th in the women’s under-20 race, followed by Brynne Gordon (51st), Denika Clooney (55th), Eleanor Pugh (60th) and Poppy Healy (62nd).
In the men’s race, Caleb Wagener finished 39th, followed by George Wyllie (49th), Corban Holmes (56th), Redd Scampion (61st) and Bede Colbourne (65th).
