Portia Bing Smashes National 400m Hurdles Record With Stellar Display

The rising stocks in New Zealand track and field were amply illustrated at a sun-drenched Douglas Track & Field as the Sir Graeme Douglas International presented by Harcourts Cooper & Co lived up to its billing at a World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze meet with a series of top-class performances.

Leading the way was Portia Bing who kick-started the track action by scalping 0.36 from her three-year-old national women’s 400m hurdles to run a stunning 55.50 on her way to an emphatic victory.

Competing in near perfect conditions on her home track, the Waitakere AC athlete looked smooth from the outset and also plundered the New Zealand resident record and meet record as well as a Commonwealth B performance standard mark.

The 28-year-old is in the form of her life this season, and set a massive new 400m personal best earlier this season in Hastings.

However, today she beautifully combined technical excellence with blistering speed to produce a history-making performance in one of the sport’s most demanding events.

Bing said: “It means a lot to me because it on my home ground and I think it is a reflection of all the things I’ve been working on and it shows that everything is coming together. I’m really excited. It is a good box to tick in my aim to run low 55s high 54s (times for the 400m hurdles).

“I’m super stoked with today. It puts me back on the world rankings list and in a nice position leading into what I hope will be competing at the World Champs, Commonwealth Games.

Tokyo Olympic finalist Hamish Kerr put on a high jumping masterclass to snag victory with 2.30m – just 1cm shy of his national record – with another stellar display.

The Christchurch Old Boys United athlete first competed at the venue as an 11-year-old winning silver in the Trans Tasman event and proved today the benefits of how far hard work, talent and a passion for the sport can take you.

Hamish, competing in sunglasses, soared clear at a meet record mark of 2.30m with his second attempt before raising the bar to a monster 2.34m – which would have added 3cm onto his national record.

Unfortunately, on this occasion he missed out on attaining a height, which would have lifted him to number two on the world lists for 2022 (indoor and outdoor performances), but it was yet another performance of supreme class from the Kiwi jumper.

Hamish said: “I was very close (at 2.34m), and it got the spine tingling, which is great this early in the season. There is more to come for sure.

“Rhythm for me at the moment is a massive thing, and I’m really having to trust my rhythm because actually spending more time on the track at the moment than actually jumping. I’m just having to trust that process.”

Zoe Hobbs once again gave a clear demonstration of her stellar form by blasting to victory in a stupendous 11.18 (+2.1m/s) – just 0.03 shy of her national record she recorded eight days earlier in Hastings.

Unfortunately, the time was just a mere 0.1m/s over the allowable limit so it cannot be classified as her second fastest in her career, but it was further validation of her outstanding shape.

Behind, Rosie Elliott placed second in 11.37 ahead of her Christchurch Old Boys United training-mate Anna Percy in 11.51 but it was Zoe who once again proved the queen of the domestic sprint scene.

“I felt pretty cooked after last week and my goal was just to get this one under my belt and get in some race practice in ahead of nationals,” she says. “I’m stoked to run a time of 11.18.”

This season has largely been dominated by the feats of Zoe Hobbs, but the rich seam of sprinting talent New Zealand currently boasts was also exemplified as a New Zealand A team minus Hobbs equalled the national women’s 4x100m record, recording 44.20 and also lowered 0.40 from the 21-year-old resident record.

The quartet of Anna Percy, Rosie Elliott, Georgia Hulls and Livvy Wilson executed three slick baton exchanges to equal the national record time posted from two years ago.

Some 30 minutes later Elliott capped a memorable day by wiping more than a second-and-a-half from her previous best to win the women’s 400m in a meet record time of 52.99 – a performance which elevated the 24-year-old to eighth on the all-time New Zealand 400m lists.

Behind, Isabel Neal of North Harbour also secured a PB in a time of 53.37 ahead of national 400m champion Camryn Smart who set a lifetime best of 53.85 in third.

While Hobbs stole the limelight in the women’s 100m, Tiaan Whelpton was similarly impressive in the men’s 100m. The tall, long striding Christchurch-based sprinter got away to his trademark quick start and simply could not be stopped as he romped to a comprehensive victory in a time of 10.21 (+2.5m/s).

Teenager Zachary Saunders (Pakuranga) also caught the eye in second, recording a time of 10.67 – 0.06 clear of third placed Jordan Bolland (Takapuna).

Whelpton, who equalled the New Zealand resident record of 10.18 in Hastings in January, said: “It was pretty good, I had a good start, good drive and the race plan went to plan, I can’t complain.”

Tom Walsh unleashed the three longest throws of his season to continue his gradual improvement during his 2022 campaign. The double Olympic bronze medallist was disappointed with some technical elements today, but opened up with a 21.24m effort – 22cm in excess of his previous season’s best before powering the 7.26kg shot out to 21.26m in round five and climaxing his competition with a 21.23m throw.

Ryan Ballantyne (Christchurch Old Boys) on his seasonal debut hurled the shot out to a handy 18.91m to snag second with Nick Palmer (Hastings) taking third with a best for the day of 18.33m.

Walsh said of his performance, “It was not that good. It was the best I’ve felt in six months and to let a few get away on me and not to get hold on to one was very frustrating.

“But I know that I’m feeling good, my throwing during the week has been going well, so I know it is all there, I just need to be patient.” Walsh next takes to the shot circle at the ITM in Christchurch next Saturday before competing at the Jennian Homes New Zealand Track & Field Championships in Hastings.

In the women’s shot put, Maddison Wesche produced a supreme performance banking victory on her seasonal debut with a mighty hurl of 18.49m in round three.

The performance was the best of her career outside of the Tokyo Olympics, where she posted a stunning lifetime best of 18.98m and finished in sixth place. Given the display was also her first since those Tokyo Olympics the Auckland-based athletes was delighted with her performance, which also included an 18.38m in round four and an 18.28m toss in round one.

Laura Nagel maintained her imperious form during the 2022 domestic season by slashing more than four-and-a-half seconds from her lifetime best to win the women’s 1500m in 4:15.37.

The North Harbour Bays athlete who has already secured national mile and 3000m titles this season seized control of the race with 700m remaining, quickly accelerating clear of the rest of the field.

By the bell she held a 15m lead and simply extended her advantage around the final 400m oval to destroy her previous quickest time for the distance of 4:19.90 set in Wellington earlier this month.

Behind, Kara Macdermid (Palmerston North) finished strongly to place second in 4:19.07 with Holly Manning of Hastings taking third in a PB of 4:20.03.

National 1500m, mile and 3000m champion Julian Oakley was similarly dominant in the men’s metric mile taking victory in 3.42.47.

The Athletics Tauranga athlete was toed around the first 900m by Olympic triathlon bronze medallist Hamish Wilde by which point he had a 10m advantage on the rest of the field.

From there it was simply a demonstration of his middle-distance excellence as he cruised to victory in 3:42.47 from Eric Speakman (Napier Harriers) 3:45.22 with the fast-finishing Matthew Taylor (North Harbour Bays) grabbing third in 3:45.69.

Wilde, the 2020 and 2021 national 5000m champion, later returned to provide a rousing climax to the meet by securing top spot in the 5000m in 14:10.71 from Connor Melton (Canterbury Uni) 14:21.22 with Christian De Vaal, 17, third in 14:26.09 on his 12-and-a-half lap debut.

Tori Peeters set a meet record to claim a comfortable victory in the women’s javelin. The New Zealand national record-holder who set a New Zealand resident record mark of 60.51m in Wellington earlier this month could not match that performance today, but the 27-year-old Hamilton City Hawks athlete still claimed a comfortable win virtue of a first round throw of 56.50m.

Olivia McTaggart (North Harbour Bays) is another athlete in wonderful form this season, and she proved top of the pile in the women’s pole vault, banking top spot with a first-time clearance at 4.45m.

It was a memorable day for 17-year-old Lex Revell-Lewis (Waitakere), who impressed on his home track to win race two of the 100m in a massive new PB of 10.81 (+1.5m/s). He later returned to snatch top spot in race two of the men’s 400m, destroying his previous one-lap best by more than a second to defeat national senior 800m and 400m champions – James Preston and Hamish Gill – in a time of 47.49.

Only the slightest puff of wind denied potential national records for Mitch Joynt (T64) and Jaxon Woolley (T38) national records in race one of the men’s 100m. Joynt stopped the clock in 11.93 – 0.04 quicker than his national record time – and Woolley recorded 12.46 – 0.02 swifter than his national men’s 100m T38 time. However, a wind reading of +2.1m/s would deny them records by the merest margin.

Tokyo Paralympian Anna Steven (T64) impressed to take out race one of the women’s 100m in 14.08 (+2.9m m/s). It will not count as a PB because of the wind-reading but given her legal best is 14.51 it put into context the quality of the display.

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