Large New Zealand Team Descend On Mackay For Oceania Area Championships

A 93-strong New Zealand combining a healthy mix of youth and experience is set to compete at the 2022 Oceania Championships in Mackay, Queensland (7-11 June) beginning on Tuesday.

The squad features a combination of elite able-bodied and Para athletes, developing athletes and U20 and U18 age-group performers all hoping to broaden their experiences on the international stage.

A total of 12 athletes named in the initial wave of selected athletes for the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Oregon will feature led by World Indoor high jump bronze medallist Hamish Kerr, New Zealand women’s 100m record-holder Zoe Hobbs, Sam Tanner, fresh off his PB and 1500m victory in the Prefontaine Classic, and Oceania hammer record-holder Lauren Bruce.

The eight remaining New Zealand athletes have been conditionally selected for the World Championship team and with world rankings points on the line in Mackay the meet will be key for the following eight athletes; Eddie Osei-Nketia (men’s 100m), Brad Mathas (men’s 800m), Georgia Hulls (women’s 200m), Oliva McTaggart and Imogen Ayris (women’s pole vault), Keeley O’Hagan (women’s high jump) Nicole Bradley (women’s hammer) and Tori Peeters (women’s javelin).

A total of ten athletes selected for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games will also be in action at the Mackay Aquatic and Recreation Complex. These include nine of the above plus discus thrower Connor Bell. High jumper Keeley O’Hagan is the only conditionally selected athlete for the Commonwealth Games competing in Queensland.

Following the postponement of the 2022 World Para Athletics Championships in Kobe because of the global pandemic, the Oceania Area Championships represent the primary international competitive opportunity for our premier para-athletes. New Zealand boast a strong line up of 11 Para athletes in Mackay led by Tokyo Paralympic gold medallists Lisa Adams (shot put F37) and Holly Robinson (javelin F46). Double Paralympic sprint medallist Danielle Aitchison will feature in the 100m and 200m T36 events while Tokyo Paralympic shot put F37 duo Ben Tuimaseve and Caitlin Dore also compete.

Also bolstering the New Zealand team in Queensland will be a large contingent of U18 and U20 athletes including four athletes bound for the World U20 Championships in Cali, Colombia in August; James Harding (800m and 1500m), Will Anthony (3000m and 5000m), Talia van Rooyen (100m, 100m hurdles and 4x400m relay) and Natalia Rankin-Chi Tar (shot and discus).

New Zealand high jump record-holder and Tokyo Olympian Hamish Kerr is one of the most high-profile athletes in action in Mackay, where he hopes to recreate the success he enjoyed at the 2019 edition of the Oceania Area Championships in Townsville, when he equalled the then national record of 2.30m to strike gold.

“Townsville was definitely a pivotal performance,” he recalls. “We enjoyed great conditions and to jump a big new PB, get the auto standard for World Champs and gain big world rankings points has stood me in good stead for the past two years.

“To come back to the Oceania champs is important for me. I never take representing New Zealand for granted, so if I’ve got an opportunity to put on a Black Singlet, I’m going to take it.”

After testing positive for Covid on his return from Belgrade when he won a World Indoor bronze medal in March, he has perhaps suffered some lingering effects and has not quite been able to deliver his best at the Doha and Birmingham Diamond League events last month.

But each day he is getting stronger and hopes for a good performance in Mackay.

“I haven’t quite hit my performance goals yet during the outdoor season but if I get up to around 2.30m again that would be really good leading into World Championships,” he says.

Kirsten Hellier, the Athletics NZ Team Leader at the Oceania Area Championships, said: “We are excited to see how this large New Zealand team performs at the Oceania Championships. From our elite performers to our developing athletes, this is a great opportunity to test themselves in a championship environment. Whether athletes are fine-tuning their preparations for major championships later in the year or setting out and making their first steps on their international journey, it will be a hugely beneficial experience for our team.”

Timetable and when to watch the Kiwis (all times NZ)

Tuesday 7 June

Wednesday 8 June

Thursday 9 June

Friday 10 June

Saturday 11 June

For start lists and results go here

The Oceania Area Championships will be livestreamed on the Oceania Athletics YouTube site

© Scoop Media