Both the U18 Men and Women's 1500m were run as timed finals. That's two races - not seeded just randomly decided. Not overly acceptable at National championships as it robs athletes of the opportunity of quality competition.
However, this did not deter Lennox Dyer from storming home with an emphatic win in the first race, which resulted in the fastest time overall and the gold medal! 🥇 Her time was 4:37.03
The U16 Men's races produced personal best for both of our competitors. First Oliver Foley ran 4:06.65 (3 seconds faster) then Ryan Gillum ran 4:10.42 (15 seconds faster). They placed 12th and 14th respectively.
Elliot Wills was a mere 2 cm from the bronze medal in the U20 Men triple jump, with a leap of 13.60m.
And then came the U20 Men 4x400m relay. David Mandengu, Felix Field, Aidan Galley and Daniel Mandengu ran a blinder for third place! 3:20.28 of excitement, yelling and yahooing!
Thank you to the athletes who were TEAM TARANAKI. You were amazing and did our province proud. Thank you to the supporters throughout the four days of competition.
And a special Thank You to Nigel Cash, my Co-Manager. You did a wonderful job! ... See MoreSee Less
The fourth and final day of the Athletics NZ champs and Team Taranaki are still performing well.
First up was Toby O'Rorke in the 10km walk. In perfect conditions, he walked a personal best time by twentyone seconds of 45:40.71 and was rewarded with the silver medal.
Milly Marshall-Kirkwood was a bit down on her distances but still brought home the bronze medal with a put of 5.35m in the U20 Women Para shot put.
Elizabeth Cudby was 6th in the U20 Women long jump with a leap 5.17m which was only eight centimeters from her best.
The finals of the U20 Women 800m saw Paige Scannell put in a sound effort, finishing in eighth in 2:17.30
Felix Field left his run to the last minute of the U20 Men 800m but produced a strong finish to take out 5th place in 1:55.57
In the last event of the morning, Mirza Abbas's distance in the Senior Men triple jump was 13.72m which was a seasons best. He finished fifth overall but fourth New Zealander. ... See MoreSee Less
Elizabeth Cudby dominated the U20 Women triple jump with a personal best jump of 11.25m for the gold medal!
Daniel Mandengu and Elliot Wills both started the day off with medals in the U20 Men long jump. Daniel took our the silver in 6.84m and Elliot the bronze with 6.61m
Stephen Hills got his first medal at an Athletics NZ T&F champs, with a throw of 12.33m in the Senior Men Para javelin.
Milly Marshall-Kirkwood U20 Women competed in the U20 Women Para discus, and although threw below her best, received the bronze medal.
Also receiving a bronze medal was Bryn Espin in the final of the U16 Men 1500m with a personal best time of 4:09.66. That's a 10 seconds improvement!
Tayla Sturgeon ran a solid race in the 400m heats of the U16 Women in the morning to qualify for the final in a time of 60.17 n the afternoon, she finished 5th in the final in 60.22. Forty minutes later, she lined up in the first race of the timed finals U16 Women 1500m. She was only a few seconds off her best and finished 16th overall in 4:55.53. Not a bad effort considering the 400m race she had already run before! In the second race of the timed finals, Emme Siggurdson ran a personal best time by three seconds in 5:06.58 to finish 21st
In the U20 Men 400m heats, both Daniel and David Mandengu qualified for the final. David recorded personal best of 49.49 - his first time under 50 seconds, coming third in his heat. Brother Daniel also placed third in his heat in 50.47. In the final in the afternoon, Daniel came home in the in 48.84 - only .84 away from his best, and David came in 6th in 50.26
The Senior Women Para 100m, our women were up against Olympians Anna Grimaldi and Danielle Aitchison! Amy Ellis placed 4th in 14.87, Sasha Al Dazhani was in 6th in 15.97 and Michelle Stokes in 8th in a personal best time of 16.45
The final event for our members was the U20 Men 1500m final and saw our two athletes Felix Field finish in 5th (4:11.46) and Aidan Galley in 11th (4:13.93).
Attached are some photos - more to come tomorrow.
It's been a long day so apologies for the lateness of this post. ... See MoreSee Less
Bryn Espin ran the race of his life in the U16 Men 800m final. Leading from the start, he won gold with an impressive time of 1:56.78. This ranks him 6th in New Zealand in the U18/U16 combined division! His time was a PB by one second.
Our second gold went the way of Sasha Al Dazhani in the Para Senior Women 400m in 1m17.88. In the same race, team mate Michelle Stokes finished fourth, taking four seconds off her PB in 1m23.28!
Lennox Dyer provided us with an exciting finish in the U18 Women 3000m. After leading for most of the race, she was challenged within a few meters of the finish line, and had to settle for silver with only .39 away from the winner!!
Toby O'Rorke put in a solid effort in the Senior Men 3km walk and was rewarded the bronze medal with a time of 12m41.22 - only two seconds short of his best time. His sister Amy won her U16 Women 3km walk taking 1m20 off her best time in 20:00.63.
Felix Field comfortably qualified for the final of U20 Men 800m, finishing four in his heat in a personal best time (by one second) of 1m545.55. Aidan Galley also finished fourth in his heat of the 800m in 1m57.59 - just off his PB but did not qualify for the final.
Campbell Wills ran a personal best in the Senior Men 400m heats with a very smart time of 50.86
Stephen Hills competed in the Para Senior Men shot put and finished a creditable 5th with a put of 6.17m ... See MoreSee Less
Well, what an afternoon it was for Team Taranaki!! 4 medals - three in one race!
Our senior Para sprinting women had to race amongst themselves as they were the only competitors after several withdrawals. However, that did not detract from awesome performances from them all. Amy Ellis - 1st in 30.65, Sasha Al Dazhani 2nd in 34.34 and Michelle Stokes in her very first national championships, 3rd in 35.59.
Then came the U18 Men 2km steeplechase. What a great finish from Ryan Gillum to over-take the second placegetter over the last barrier to take the silver medal! And in a personal best time of 6:21.98 - that's a nineteen second personal best.
Campbell Wills ran a personal best of 23.11 in the semi-final of the senior men's 200m although did not qualify for the final.
Stephen Hills (F34) threw a personal best in the Senior Men's para discus with a distance of 20.67m for 5th place. This is the first time Stephen has thrown over the 20meter mark.
Oliver Foley finished 7th in the heats of the U18 men 800m in 2:04.25
And to finish off a great day, we finished 4th in the Senior Men's 4x100m relay. Their time of 43.07 broke the Athletics Taranaki record set back in 1973. Not a bad effort from three U20 Men and one Senior man. WELL DONE Campbell, Elliot Wills, David Mandengu and Daniel Mandengu!
The first day of Athletics NZ T&F is underway in warm, breezy conditions in Auckland.
First up for the day was Campbell Wills in the senior men 200m. He finished 4th in his heat in 23.20and qualified for the semi-final this afternoon.
Felix Field and Aidan Galley's 1500m heats went straight to finals on Saturday evening.
In her first national championships, Emme Siggurdson put in a creditable effort in the U16 Women's 800m, finishing 4th in her heat.
The Mandengu brothers Daniel and David, ran personal best times in the heats of the U20 Men 200m but were just off the pace for qualifying for the semis. Their times were 22.40 (Daniel) and 23.08 (David).
Just a shout out to all members of TEAM TARANAKI heading to Athletics New Zealand's Track & Field championships in Auckland starting tomorrow. We have a good contingent from our club in the team so go hard but be fair!!!! ... See MoreSee Less
2026 national T&F done and dusted!!
Both the U18 Men and Women's 1500m were run as timed finals. That's two races - not seeded just randomly decided. Not overly acceptable at National championships as it robs athletes of the opportunity of quality competition.
However, this did not deter Lennox Dyer from storming home with an emphatic win in the first race, which resulted in the fastest time overall and the gold medal! 🥇 Her time was 4:37.03
The U16 Men's races produced personal best for both of our competitors. First Oliver Foley ran 4:06.65 (3 seconds faster) then Ryan Gillum ran 4:10.42 (15 seconds faster). They placed 12th and 14th respectively.
Elliot Wills was a mere 2 cm from the bronze medal in the U20 Men triple jump, with a leap of 13.60m.
And then came the U20 Men 4x400m relay.
David Mandengu, Felix Field, Aidan Galley and Daniel Mandengu ran a blinder for third place!
3:20.28 of excitement, yelling and yahooing!
Thank you to the athletes who were TEAM TARANAKI. You were amazing and did our province proud. Thank you to the supporters throughout the four days of competition.
And a special Thank You to Nigel Cash, my Co-Manager. You did a wonderful job! ... See MoreSee Less
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The fourth and final day of the Athletics NZ champs and Team Taranaki are still performing well.
First up was Toby O'Rorke in the 10km walk. In perfect conditions, he walked a personal best time by twentyone seconds of 45:40.71 and was rewarded with the silver medal.
Milly Marshall-Kirkwood was a bit down on her distances but still brought home the bronze medal with a put of 5.35m in the U20 Women Para shot put.
Elizabeth Cudby was 6th in the U20 Women long jump with a leap 5.17m which was only eight centimeters from her best.
The finals of the U20 Women 800m saw Paige Scannell put in a sound effort, finishing in eighth in 2:17.30
Felix Field left his run to the last minute of the U20 Men 800m but produced a strong finish to take out 5th place in 1:55.57
In the last event of the morning, Mirza Abbas's distance in the Senior Men triple jump was 13.72m which was a seasons best. He finished fifth overall but fourth New Zealander. ... See MoreSee Less
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Day 3 and Team Taranaki is still performing well!
Elizabeth Cudby dominated the U20 Women triple jump with a personal best jump of 11.25m for the gold medal!
Daniel Mandengu and Elliot Wills both started the day off with medals in the U20 Men long jump. Daniel took our the silver in 6.84m and Elliot the bronze with 6.61m
Stephen Hills got his first medal at an Athletics NZ T&F champs, with a throw of 12.33m in the Senior Men Para javelin.
Milly Marshall-Kirkwood U20 Women competed in the U20 Women Para discus, and although threw below her best, received the bronze medal.
Also receiving a bronze medal was Bryn Espin in the final of the U16 Men 1500m with a personal best time of 4:09.66. That's a 10 seconds improvement!
Tayla Sturgeon ran a solid race in the 400m heats of the U16 Women in the morning to qualify for the final in a time of 60.17 n the afternoon, she finished 5th in the final in 60.22. Forty minutes later, she lined up in the first race of the timed finals U16 Women 1500m. She was only a few seconds off her best and finished 16th overall in 4:55.53. Not a bad effort considering the 400m race she had already run before! In the second race of the timed finals, Emme Siggurdson ran a personal best time by three seconds in 5:06.58 to finish 21st
In the U20 Men 400m heats, both Daniel and David Mandengu qualified for the final. David recorded personal best of 49.49 - his first time under 50 seconds, coming third in his heat. Brother Daniel also placed third in his heat in 50.47. In the final in the afternoon, Daniel came home in the in 48.84 - only .84 away from his best, and David came in 6th in 50.26
The Senior Women Para 100m, our women were up against Olympians Anna Grimaldi and Danielle Aitchison! Amy Ellis placed 4th in 14.87, Sasha Al Dazhani was in 6th in 15.97 and Michelle Stokes in 8th in a personal best time of 16.45
The final event for our members was the U20 Men 1500m final and saw our two athletes Felix Field finish in 5th (4:11.46) and Aidan Galley in 11th (4:13.93).
Attached are some photos - more to come tomorrow.
It's been a long day so apologies for the lateness of this post. ... See MoreSee Less
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Another great day for Team Taranaki!
Bryn Espin ran the race of his life in the U16 Men 800m final. Leading from the start, he won gold with an impressive time of 1:56.78. This ranks him 6th in New Zealand in the U18/U16 combined division! His time was a PB by one second.
Our second gold went the way of Sasha Al Dazhani in the Para Senior Women 400m in 1m17.88. In the same race, team mate Michelle Stokes finished fourth, taking four seconds off her PB in 1m23.28!
Lennox Dyer provided us with an exciting finish in the U18 Women 3000m. After leading for most of the race, she was challenged within a few meters of the finish line, and had to settle for silver with only .39 away from the winner!!
Toby O'Rorke put in a solid effort in the Senior Men 3km walk and was rewarded the bronze medal with a time of 12m41.22 - only two seconds short of his best time. His sister Amy won her U16 Women 3km walk taking 1m20 off her best time in 20:00.63.
Felix Field comfortably qualified for the final of U20 Men 800m, finishing four in his heat in a personal best time (by one second) of 1m545.55. Aidan Galley also finished fourth in his heat of the 800m in 1m57.59 - just off his PB but did not qualify for the final.
Campbell Wills ran a personal best in the Senior Men 400m heats with a very smart time of 50.86
Stephen Hills competed in the Para Senior Men shot put and finished a creditable 5th with a put of 6.17m ... See MoreSee Less
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Some photos from today. ... See MoreSee Less
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Well, what an afternoon it was for Team Taranaki!! 4 medals - three in one race!
Our senior Para sprinting women had to race amongst themselves as they were the only competitors after several withdrawals. However, that did not detract from awesome performances from them all. Amy Ellis - 1st in 30.65, Sasha Al Dazhani 2nd in 34.34 and Michelle Stokes in her very first national championships, 3rd in 35.59.
Then came the U18 Men 2km steeplechase. What a great finish from Ryan Gillum to over-take the second placegetter over the last barrier to take the silver medal! And in a personal best time of 6:21.98 - that's a nineteen second personal best.
Campbell Wills ran a personal best of 23.11 in the semi-final of the senior men's 200m although did not qualify for the final.
Stephen Hills (F34) threw a personal best in the Senior Men's para discus with a distance of 20.67m for 5th place. This is the first time Stephen has thrown over the 20meter mark.
Oliver Foley finished 7th in the heats of the U18 men 800m in 2:04.25
And to finish off a great day, we finished 4th in the Senior Men's 4x100m relay. Their time of 43.07 broke the Athletics Taranaki record set back in 1973. Not a bad effort from three U20 Men and one Senior man. WELL DONE Campbell, Elliot Wills, David Mandengu and Daniel Mandengu!
Photos to come ... See MoreSee Less
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The first day of Athletics NZ T&F is underway in warm, breezy conditions in Auckland.
First up for the day was Campbell Wills in the senior men 200m. He finished 4th in his heat in 23.20and qualified for the semi-final this afternoon.
Felix Field and Aidan Galley's 1500m heats went straight to finals on Saturday evening.
In her first national championships, Emme Siggurdson put in a creditable effort in the U16 Women's 800m, finishing 4th in her heat.
The Mandengu brothers Daniel and David, ran personal best times in the heats of the U20 Men 200m but were just off the pace for qualifying for the semis. Their times were 22.40 (Daniel) and 23.08 (David).
More action to come this afternoon ... See MoreSee Less
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Just a shout out to all members of TEAM TARANAKI heading to Athletics New Zealand's Track & Field championships in Auckland starting tomorrow.
We have a good contingent from our club in the team so go hard but be fair!!!! ... See MoreSee Less
0 CommentsComment on Facebook