Athletics New Zealand 2017 World Champs London update
Joseph Millar in round one of the 100m started from lane five in the fourth of six heats and finished fifth in 10.31, 0.07outside the time needed to qualify as one of the six fastest outside the first three in each heat.
Millar said the whole experience was a lot of fun.
“Not quite happy with the time that I ran, but there was a lot more things happening around me that time and a little bit tired from the earlier round but I was just hoping that that would have warmed the legs up enough to come through,” he said.
“It’s all been learning for the 200m later on, and then the bigger target of the Commonwealth Games next year,” he added.
Millar said it has been a childhood dream come true, no matter what I do out on the track I just know there’s a little boy in the past who wanted all this and I’ve finally have given them that. To get all the support and well-wishers from family and friends back home has been really cool, just to know that I’m making people proud. Although I didn’t run the times that I was after I’m sure some people were looking to me to go a bit faster but the fact that I got here and had the opportunity is just something I feel really blessed about,” said Millar.
He added that the support from the crowd had been great.
“Getting down to the blocks, the crowd goes quiet and someone calls out ‘go Kiwi’ it chucks a smile on my face, and gets me good and ready to go.”
Eliza McCartney just sneaked into the final of the women’s pole vault after making her second attempt at 4.50m. Requiring 4.60m for automatic qualification McCartney started at 4.35m which she cleared on her second attempt and then 4.35m.
McCartney said it was not good.
“It was not good, but good at the same time. Maybe the lack of vaulting in the last month caught up to me a little bit and I was struggling to control my legs a bit they were getting out of my control and they were a bit jelly and I was doing all sorts of strange things. It wasn’t ideal but I can count my lucky stars.
“My Achilles held up really well, so that’s promising for the final it means it is competition ready. I’m just a little bit rusty but this is a really good warm up now, since the final is in two days,” she said.
Zane Robertson finished 16th in the 10,000m final in 27:48.59 behind popular winner Mo Farah of Great Britain. The Kenyan based Kiwi, 12th at last year’s Rio Olympics 10,000m in 27:33.67 was not in good shape coming off the track with cramping around the hips.
