Jacko Gill
Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Auckland shot putter Jacko Gill has beaten Tom Walsh for the second time this month throwing a personal best at the Sir Graeme Douglas meeting in Waitakere.
The keenly anticipated men’s shot put showdown lived up to its billing as Gill threw out a huge new pb of 22.12m in round one to inflict back-to-back defeats on Walsh following his victory at the national championships.
The 28-year-old Auckland thrower – who exceeded his previous best of 21.90m set when winning silver at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games – in round two tossed out his second best throw of all time, registering a best off 21.92m.
Walsh responded to the Gill challenge with a handy first round throw of 21.79m – within 1cm of his season’s best – in round one but from that point on with the rain starting to fall more heavily both athletes understandably struggled to match their early pyrotechnics.
An elated Gill said: “I’m stoked, I can’t believe it, I’m very happy. I have wanted to throw 22 since I was 16, it was always the dream to get 22m.
On why he is currently throwing better than ever he said: “I think my technique has improved quite a bit and I’m really enjoying mum and dad at training and with Dale (Stevenson offering coaching input) overseas. I just have a nice set up that we’ve got going on. I’m enjoying every day.”
Sprinter Zoe Hobbs was unable to break 11 seconds for the 100m for the third straight time, but she did record a New Zealand resident and allcomers record.
Hobbs has produced a series of awe-inspiring performances over the past two weeks, and she maintained her incredible streak of performances by winning the race in a scorching 11.02 (+1.3) to lower her resident and allcomers record by 0.05 from the time she posted in Wellington two weeks ago.
The 25-year-old sprinter scalped a tenth of a second from her Oceania record with a stunning 10.97 in Sydney last Saturday and on Thursday night she backed it up despite the the cold and wet conditions to run the fastest legal women’s 100m ever seen in New Zealand.
Behind, Aussie Bree Masters set a PB of 11.23 in second with her compatriot Ella Connolly (11.35) in third.
Hobbs said: “I didn’t have a lot of expectation coming into this race, I just wanted to have fun and I raced quite late when the weather wasn’t the best.
“I was surprised to hear that time (11.02) because I didn’t have the best start. I rose quite early I didn’t accelerate as deep as I what I hoped. I didn’t think I would run 11.02 so it is pretty reassuring to know I can that time and it wasn’t the perfect race.
“I didn’t expect it. Coming of the back of Sydney was a massive high. But I think it is just part of learning, the more you race the more you are able to back it up.”
Zoe Hobbs
Photo: PHOTOSPORT
The crowd in the main grandstand were treated to a thunderous long jump competition, which witnessed the equalling of the 55-year-old New Zealand allcomers record and the longest jump by a Kiwi long jumper for quarter of a century.
Aussie Liam Adcock secured a thrilling victory with a massive 8.18m and with his final effort leap 8.05m to match the allcomers record, which also doubles as the New Zealand record set by Bob Thomas in Whangarei in 1968.
New Zealand champion Shay Veitch launched out to the largest leap of his career a massive 7.99m (+1.1) to tickle that long-standing mark of Thomas and show he has the capabilities of lowering that historic mark. Veitch also went out to a legal 7.98m (+1.6) in round five.
The wet and windy conditions badly hampered the eagerly awaited women’s pole vault showdown as Eliza McCartney took top spot with 4.46m.
Olivia McTaggart, who cleared a new PB and World Championship entry standard of 4.71m at the Auckland Championships on Saturday unfortunately missed out on her opening height as did Imogen Ayris paving the way for McCartney to clear 4.46m and nab top spot.
McCartney said: “Tricky conditions for sure. The warm up was tough and for the girls who started at the lower heights it was raining as well. Rain and wind are not two things that mix well in pole vault. Thankfully, it stopped raining by the time I started to jump, and I managed to sneak over at 4.46m. I don’t know how I did it to be honest, it was a wriggle of a jump. I’m just pleased to have got a height, it wasn’t an easy day today.”
Maddi Wesche gave another strong hint at her outstanding shape by tossing the 4kg shot out to 19.11m – the third longest throw of her career and within 2cm of her season’s best set in Wellington two weeks ago.
Rosie Elliott gave another demonstration of her domestic dominance of the women’s 400m to surge to victory in a time of 53.22.
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