Joseph Millar produced the performance of the meeting on the final day of the Jennian Homes New Zealand Track & Field Championships in Hamilton with a stunning 200m victory in 20.37s.
The time, with a negligible 0.1 tail wind, broke two long standing New Zealand records, the national record of 20.42, set by Chris Donaldson in 1997 and the resident record of 20.61, set by Matthew Coad a year earlier.
It also went under the 20.44 selection standard for the London 2017 World Championships and nomination standard for the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.
Millar’s 200m performance coupled with his win in the 100m in a quick 10.18 give the Tauranga athlete his fourth national sprint double victory, to go with his wins in 2012, 2013 and 2014. He also led his Waikato Bay of Plenty team to victory in the 4x100m relay.
As expected, Rio bronze medallists Tom Walsh and Eliza McCartney won their respective events, Walsh belting out an impressive 21.51 in the second round to secure his eighth national title and set a new championship best performance, surpassing his 21.11 in 2016.
McCartney, by her own admission, had an off day, but still cleared 4.55 to easily win the women’s pole vault title for the third consecutive year in her relatively short career.
The race of the day was the women’s 1500m which boasted a deep field and lived up to those expectations. The two most recent champions Angie Petty and Nikki Hamblin, both Rio Olympians were joined by Camille Buscomb, 800m runner-up Katherine Camp, 5000m champion Laura Nagel and Esther Keown.
The six ran as a tight bunch with the lead changing several times before Buscomb took charge for the last 600m, with Petty hot on her tail and Hamblin and Camp not far back. Petty squeezed past Buscomb on the last 200m and went on to claim her second win in the championships, following her 800m win the day before.
The men’s 1500 title went to Hawkes Bay’s Eric Speakman, two places better than his 800m bronze.
Zoe Hobbs added the women’s 200m title to her 100m victory on Friday, recording a personal best of 23.85.
400m hurdles championship wins went to Waikato Bay of Plenty’s Cameron French in 51.58 to go with his 100m bronze and Anna Percy from Canterbury who defended her 2016 title in 60.23.
Steeplechase winners were Rosa Flanagan (Canterbury), back from a long injury break and Jack Beaumont from Southland.
Graeme Jones from Hawkes Bay Gisborne took out the men’s 20km race walk to repeat his victories in 2013 and 2015. The women’s race was won by American visitor Erin Talcott but the title went to Rozie Robinson, her fourth title in the event.
The final events of the championships, the 4x400m relays were won by Manawatu/Wanganui (men) and Canterbury (women) with host Centre Waikato Bay of Plenty runners-up in both races.
Men.-
Senior:
200m: Joseph Millar (WaikBoP) 20.37s (NZ national and resident record) 1, Will Smart (Akld) 21.64s 2, Zac Topping (Manwyu/Wang) 21.93s 3.
1500m: Eric Speakman (HBG) 3m 49.90s 1, Samuel Bremer (Otago) 3m 51.44s 2, Peter Wheeler (Akld) 3m 52.57s 3.
400m hurdles: Cameron French (WaikBoP) 51.58s 1, Campbell Wu (Akld) 54.81m 2.
3000m steeplechase: Jack Beaumont (Sthld) 9m 13.58s 1, Harry Burnard (Wgtn) 9m 50.62s 2, Mathew Rogers (L/Hutt) 10m 12.93s 3.
20km race walk: Graeme Jones (HBG) 1h 41m 42s 1.
Shot put: Tom Walsh (Cant) 21.51m 1, Ryan Ballantyne (WaikBoP) 16.66m 2, Alexander Parkinson (Akld) 15.20m 3.
Javelin throw: Benjamin Langton-Burnell (Manwtu/Wang) 76.59m 1, Stuart Farquhar (WaikBoP) 71.23m 2, Alex Wood (WaikBoP) 68.86m 3.
Triple jump: Ebuka Okpala (Akld) 15.43m 1, Scott Thomson (Wgtn) 14.54m 2, David Van Den Bogaard (Akld) 13.91m 3.
High jump: Hamish Kerr (Manwtu/Wang) 2.15m 1, William Crayford (Wgtn) 1.97m 2, Liam Speer (Akld) 1.97m 3.
Pole vault: Nick Southgate (Akld) 5.15m 1, Vincent Hobbie (Germany) 4.85m 2, James Steyn (Akld) 4.65m 3, Thomas Pfitzner (Intnl) 4.45m 4, Ben Kennedy (Akld) 4.25m 5.
4 x 400m relay: Manawatu-Wanganui (Sam Merson, Brayden Grant, Zac Topping, Quin Hartley) 3m 19.33s 1, Waikato Bay of Plenty 3m 19.91s 2, Canterbury 3m 20.25s 3.
Under 20:
200m: Bailey Cotton (Tasman) 22.25s 1, Nick Smith (Wgtn) 22.45s 2, Jarvis Hansen (Cant) 22.47s 3.
1500m: Theo Quax (Akld) 4m 11.72s 1, Oli Chignell (Otago) 4m 12.25s 2, James Uhlenberg (Akld) 4m 12.51s 3.
400m hurdles: Oliver Miller (Akld) 55.92s 1, Isaac Milne (WaikBoP) 58.43s 2, Maselino Vaiaoga (Samoa) 59.43s 3, Conor McGiven (WaikBoP) 61.02m 4.
3000m steeplechase: Blair Pennell (WaikBoP) 10m 30.95s 1.
10km race walk: Michael McElwee (Akld) 1h 6m 46s 1.
Discus throw: Connor Bell (Akld) 54.38m 1, Nathaniel Sulupo (Wgtn) 52.98m 2, Hugh McLeod-Jones (Otago) 43.92m 3.
Triple jump: Christopher Goodwin (WaikBoP) 14.27m 1, Matt Walsh (Cant) 13.99m 2, Andrew Allan (Sthld) 13.12m 3.
4 x 400m relay: Otago (Matthew Ogle, Sam Gouverneur, Cameron Miller, Felix McDonald) 3m 23.41s 1, Auckland 3m 29.63s 2, Waikato Bay of Plenty 3m 30.86s 3.
Under 18:
200m: James Guthrie-Croft (Akld) 21.98s 1, Dominic Overend (Akld) 22.23s 2, George Kozlov (Akld) 22.71s 3.
1500m: Nick Moulai (Cant) 3m 52.95s 1, Isaiah Priddey (WaikBoP) 3m 53.93s 2, Sam Hyde-Smith (Wgtn) 3m 58.35s 3.
300m hurdles: Olly Parkinson (Akld) 37.97s 1, Joshua Shih (Akld) 39.64s 2, Louis Andrews (Cant) 40.25s 3.
2000m steeplechase: William Sinclair (WaikBoP) 6m 10.05s 1, Murdoch Mcintyre 6m 10.16s 2, Mark Day (HBG) 6m 25.10s 3.
Shot put: Nick Palmer (HBG) 19.20m 1, Hamish Mears (Otago) 14.95m 2, Nikolas Kini (Nthld) 13.24m 3.
Javelin throw: Cam Robinson (Wgtn) 65.42m 1, Jared Neighbours (Cant) 51.73m 2, Samuel Porter-Samuels (HBG) 44.02m 3.
4 x 400m relay: Waikato Bay of Plenty (Danny-Tama Moetu, Joseph Sinclair, Samuel Tanner, Bejamin Prince) 3m 26.60s 1, Canterbury 3m 27.01s 2, Auckland 3m 28.23s 3.
Women.-
Senior:
200m: Zoe Hobbs (Akld) 23.85s 1, Abby Goldie (WaikBoP) 24.55s 2, Anna Percy (Cant) 24.55s 3.
1500m: Angie Petty (Cant) 4m 19.54s 1, Camille Buscomb (WaikBoP) 4m 20.07s 2, Katherine Camp (WaikBoP) 4m 21.22s 3.
400m hurdles: Percy 60.23s 1, Megan Kikuchi (Akld) 62.30s 2, Celine Pearn (Akld) 62.90s 3.
3000m steeplechase: Rosa Flanagan (Cant) 10m 38.72s 1, Natalie Dryden (Cant) 11m 31.43s 2.
20km race walk: Erin Talcott (USA) 1h 39m 53s 1, Rozie Robinson (Cant) 1h 43m 23s 2, Laura Langley (HBG) 1h 48m 58s 3, Corinne Smith (Nthld) 1h 54m 19s 4.
Triple jump: Anna Thomson (Wgtn) 12.34m 1, Atipa Mabonga (Sthld) 12.02m 2, Diana Ismagilova (Akld) 11.85m 3.
Pole vault: Eliza McCartney (Akld) 4.55m 1, Hannah Philpot (Akld) 3.65m 2, Katrin Pfitzner (Akld) 3.30m 3.
4 x 400m relay: Canterbury (Anna Percy, Ariana Harper, Fiona Morrison, Angie Petty) 3m 46.51s 1, Waikato Bay of Plenty 3m 47.41s 2, Auckland 3m 50.67s 3.
Under 20:
200m: Lucy Sheat (Tasman) 23.96s 1, Georgia Hulls (HBG) 24.28s 2, Tamsin Harvey (Akld) 25.28s 3.
1500m: Kelsey Forman (Wgtn) 4m 39.35s 1, Harriet Bush (Cant) 4m 39.52s 2, Zia Macdermid (Manwtu/Wang) 4m 41.34s 3.
400m hurdles: Amanda Fitisemanu (Tasman) 62.99s 1, Tegan Duffy (Cant) 64.81s 2, Ruby Hansen (HBG) 64.95s 3.
3000m steeplechase: Amanda Holyer (Akld) 11m 53.94s 1, Hannah Haworth (WaikBoP) 12m 42.50s 2, Sami Jordan (Tasman) 12m 46.25s 3.
Discus throw: Tatiana Kaumoana (WaikBoP) 44.54m 1, Christina Ryan (Cant) 41.71m 2, Mellata Tatola (Akld) 40.72m 3.
High jump: Alexandra Hyland (Akld) 1.69m 1, Adriana Mawhinney (Otago) 1.65m 2, Imogen Skelton (Wgtn) 1.60m 3.
4 x 400m relay: Hawkes Bay Gisborne (Ruby Hansen, Ruby Brett, Briana Stephenson, Georgia Hulls) 3m 57.80s 1, Tasman 3m 59.04s 2, Waikato Bay of Plenty 4m 00.22s 3.
Under 18:
200m: Maia Broughton (Cant) 24.75s 1, Leah Belfield (WaikBoP) 24.97s 2, Letisha Pukaikia (Taranaki) 25.85s 3.
1500m: Hannah O’Connor (Taranaki) 4m 30.35s 1, Lily Trotter (Cant) 4m 35.15s 2, Phobe McKnight (Wgtn) 4m 38.50s 3.
300m hurdles: Olivia Burnham (Cant) 44.59s 1, Zoe Taylor (Akld) 44.89s 2, Alessandra Macdonald (WaikBoP) 46.07s 3.
2000m steeplechase: Charli Miller (WaikBoP) 6m 46.74s (NZ under 17 record) 1, Tessa Webb (Manwtu/Wang) 6m 59.34s 2, Liliana Braun (Cant) 7m 10.54s 3.
Hammer throw: Mellata Tatola (Akld) 56.17m 1, Savannah Scheen (Akld) 45.26m 2, Alana Ryan (Taranaki) 44.90m 3.
Triple jump: Lisa Putt (Akld) 11.83m 1, Kayla Goodwin (WaikBoP) 11.15m 2, Lydia Bamford (Manwtu/Wang) 11.10m 3.
4 x 400m relay: Canterbury (Tegan Duffy, Olivia Burnham, Pieta Hansen, Maia Broughton) 3m 53.14s 1, Waikato Bay of Plenty 3m 55.52s 2, Manawatu-Wanganui 3m 56.70s 3.
Para-Athlete:
Men:
200m: Lachlan Foote (Aust) 25.43s 1, Ethan Rangi (Akld) 25.56s 2, Keegan Pitcher (Akld) 25.84s 3.
1500m: Sunil Fernandez-Ritchie (WaikBoP) 5m 5.31s 1, Guy Harrison (HBG) 5m 42.07s 2.
Shot put: Jack Lewer (Manwtu/Wang) 11.52m 1, Ben Tuimaseve (Akld) 10.02m 2, Aodhan Hamilton (WaikBoP) 9.81m 3.
Women:
200m: Anna Grimaldi (Otago) 26.34s 1, Libby Leikis (Wgtn) 35.12s 2, Anna Steven (NHB) 35.33s 3.
Discus throw: Amy Dunn (WaikBoP) 7.97m 1.
Media release via Athletics New Zealand @AthleticsNZ
