6 October 2016
 
 
 
www.athletics.org.nz  
 
 
 
 


 

 


 

A message from Linda Hamersley, the Athletics NZ Chief Executive

Hello everyone and welcome to the start of another exciting summer season of athletics. A summer where we will no doubt be reliving the inspirational performances of our athletes at the Rio Olympics and Paralympics Games. Performing at the Olympic level is such an amazing feat and to win medals is something that very few people get to realise. I hope Clubs have been able to benefit from the Rio Membership Activation suite of tools to encourage more people to come and join a club. Who knows, maybe the interest is sparked and a future Olympian is in the making.

Road Relays
Lake City Athletics Club picked up the baton from Athletics Canterbury and hosted the National Road Relay Championships last weekend. It was always going to be a big challenge for Lake City after the last two years being hosted in picturesque Akaroa. Lake City did themselves proud by hosting a great event and was able to rival the scenery of Akaroa with the stunning views of Lake Rotorua. It was great to see Hamish Carson off the back of his Rio Olympic campaign bring the Wellington Scottish team home in the last leg to win the senior men’s title. Congratulations to all the winners and to the Clubs and runners for entering and helping make the event such a success.  

Strategic Planning
I want to thank Clubs, and their representatives, that attended the strategic planning workshop at the recent Club Connect Conference in August. The information gained from that workshop has helped continue to form the Board’s thinking around what the strategy for Athletics New Zealand will be for the next five years. There was clear alignment around the Vision for Athletics New Zealand, and great input around the strategies and what they could look like. Following the Conference another planning session has taken place with a cross-representation of Clubs, Centres and Associate Members. The Board has a further workshop planned for 14 October where they will finalise the new strategic plan and I look forward to being able to share that with the sport when the presentation document has been created.  It is an exciting time for Athletics; our sport is looking to the future, and we are well positioned to leverage off the successes at Rio.

Linda

In this issue of Athletics in Action we talk to a New Zealand Champion who made a big breakthrough this year, and we caught up with a New Zealand World Champs marathon rep with her eyes now focused on the 2020 Olympics. 
There’s more in this issue of Athletics in Action, so keeping reading.

 

 

Rio didn't work out so Davies looks ahead to Tokyo 2020

Distance runner Mary Davies missed out on her dream of winning a spot on the New Zealand team for the Rio Olympics. However, as the US-based Kiwi explains to Steve Landells, she is not done yet and is targeting qualification for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic marathon.
Read More...

 

Member Benefits
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OAA Future Women Leader Scholarships

Athletics NZ is excited to announce that the Oceania Athletics Association Future Women Leaders scholarship programme is now accepting applications. This is the second time this scholarship has been offered, with Mariah Ririnui being the successful applicant from the 2014 program launch. Applications close on Wednesday 30 November. 
More information and application forms

 

Upcoming NZ Championship Events

The final Athletics NZ championship for 2016 will be the NZ Long Distance Race Walking Championships in Timaru. Then we move to the NZ Secondary Schools Track & Field and Road Champs in Auckland on the weekend 2-4 December.

 

What's next?

October 2016
1     NZ Road Relay Champs   Rotorua
1     NZ 24 hour Championships   Auckland

November 2016
13     NZ LD Race Walking Champs   Timaru
18-20  South Island Masters Champs  Timaru
25-27  North Island Masters Ch   Palm North

December 2016
2-4   NZ Sec School T&F Champs    Waitakere
 

 

  
 

 

  
  
 

Coster breakthrough inpires her for more

Rochelle Coster blitzed to a share of the New Zealand 100m hurdles record during a breakthrough 2016 campaign. The Aucklander chats to Steve Landells about her rise and hopes for the future.  
Read more ...

 

Rare Tie at Road Relays

A very even spread of club results saw an unprecedented four clubs finish with 50 points in the competition for the Best Overall Club at the NZ Road Relay Champs in Rotorua. Wellington Scottish placed fourth on the countback and the top award saw a three-way tie between Auckland City Athletics, Hamilton City Hawks and Wellington Harrier Athletic Club, unable to be separated by the countback system in the event rules. 
Read More about the NZ Road Relays

 

24 hour warriors tough it out

What a weekend for our Ultra athletes competing at the first ever Athletics NZ 24 hour champs at the AUT Millennium track on Auckland’s North Shore! The weather had a big impact on the  results with regular heavy showers and wind having an effect on the runners and pre race favourite, Australian Mick Thwaites was forced out with hypothermia after 10 hours while leading. The inaugural NZ 24 hour champions are John Bayne (Leith Harriers) and Penny Kirkwood (Auckland YMCA Marathon).
Read more

 

#weareathletics

During the Olympics and Paralympics we ran a social media competition encouraging clubs, schools and groups to show their support for the teams in Rio. They posted a video or picture supporting, imitating or congratulating the team or team members. Thanks for all the great entries and congratulations to the two winning clubs. 
People’s Choice:   Wellington Scottish Athletics
Athletes’ Choice:   Paukuranga Junior Athletics
In case you missed it Athletics NZ created a support video too.

 

WADA 2017 Prohibited List

The World Anti Doping Association (WADA) has recently published their Prohibited List for 2017. While there are very few changes it is important that athletes and support personnel are aware of this information.
WADA 2017 Prohibited List

 

Brian Taylor Scholarship

Applications are invited for the 2017 Brian Taylor Scholarship, which will be awarded to a student distance runner (800m up) enrolled a New Zealand tertiary institution. Applications close 31 October Full details and application information at http://www.briantaylortrust.com 

 

Rankings & Records

Just in time for the start of the summer season, we’ve given our Rankings & Records section of the website a facelift. Still the same fantastic information, but now a little easier to navigate and you might just find some gems you didn’t know were there.   This is one of the most popular sections of our web-based service to our members and fans with almost half a million page views over the last 12 months, an increase of 18% over the previous year. Note: you may have to clear your browser cache to see the new pages in all their glory.
Rankings and Records web pages 

 

Throwsfest 2016

Throwers - four days just for you!  
Athletics New Zealand’s Throwsfest 2016 is a merger of the very successful Hammerfest and Shot Put Discus Camp events from last season, bringing it all together in one massive get-together for throwers (beginners to experts) and coaches. It’s straight after the New Zealand Secondary schools champs in Auckland. Love throwing? Then get to  Throwsfest!
Find out more ...

 

Resources

If you would like a copy of the latest Athletics NZ Almanac, a full IAAF Competition Rules handbook, a copy of the newly printed The Referee or any of our coaching manuals and resources, head to our Online Shop.

 

HP Topics

Recent updates and announcements from our HP department:
2016 IAU 24hr Asia/Oceania Championships
2016 IAU Trail World Champs reps announced
Other recent HP news can be found HERE

 

Are you up to date?

We want to keep all our members and fans right up to date with all the important news and happenings in the sport. Check out the latest offerings:

   Weekly Round-up  (new)
   Club Chat Newsletter (new)
   Official Focus Newsletter 
   Athletics NZ website
   Athletics NZ High Performance
   Athletics NZ Rankings & Records (new)
 

 
 

 

  
 
 

 

  

ATHLETICS NEW ZEALAND
P.O. Box 305 504, Triton Plaza, Auckland 0757
The Pavilion, MISH, 17 Antares Pl, Rosedale, Auckland 0632
P 09 477 0210

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