The 2025 Sir Graeme Douglas International did not disappoint as Athletics New Zealand's Summer Circuit made its way north to Auckland, bringing a slew of national records, athletic stars, and personal bests from track and field.
Two weeks after running the fastest 60m time for a New Zealander (6.50 seconds), Tiaan Whelpton kicked off his season in his signature event.
LATEST HEADLINES:
He won convincingly in the men’s 100m, setting a new NZ residents record, personal best and meeting record of 10.10 seconds. The time elevates him to second all-time behind Eddie Osei-Nketia’s 10.08s national record.
“That was awesome, the conditions were amazing. I just wish I could’ve executed a bit better with these conditions, but my first 100 of the season and that was a hell of a way to kick it off with a PB,” said Whelpton.
“So, it’s only up from here that national record (10.08) is in my sights,” he added.
He will return to the track on February 22 at the International Track Meet in Christchurch, where he will compete in both the men’s 60m and 100m.
In a thrilling shot-put rivalry, Olympians Jacko Gill and Tom Walsh had yet another showdown.
Gill claimed the men’s title with a dominant 21.85m throw, securing gold in a tense final round. Holding off Walsh by just under a meter in a hard-fought battle. Gill has successfully achieved an auto-qualifier for the upcoming 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo as he surpassed the standard of 21.50m.
After returning from the injury he sustained at the Paris Olympics, Walsh displayed impressive consistency throughout the event, with a best throw of 20.86m in the third round. Despite the injury setback, the two-time Olympic bronze medalist threw multiple times beyond the 20m mark.
The rivalry between Gill, who placed sixth at the Tokyo Olympics, and Walsh has defined New Zealand’s shot-put scene for over a decade, with both athletes constantly pushing each other to new distances.
The 15-year-old youngster Sam Ruthe continued his storied performances, smashing his best by eight seconds in the men’s 1500m.
He crossed the line at 3 minutes 41.25 seconds, setting a new New Zealand U18 national record. Ruthe has claimed the top spot in the 1500m world age group rankings for a 15-year-old. Meanwhile, Japan’s Ryoji Tatezawa won the race with a time of 3:40.20.
Australian Olympic sprinters Bree Masters and Ellie Beer dominated the women’s sprint events. Masters equalled her personal-best in the women’s 100m, clocking an impressive 11.23 seconds.
Meanwhile, Beer opened her season with a strong performance in the 400m, clocking a time of 52.40 seconds, closely followed by New Zealand’s Isabel Neal and Madeline Waddell.
Neal crossed in second place in 53.06 seconds, which now ranks her No 1 in New Zealand for the season. Waddell, 17, was right on her tail, running 53.16 seconds, breaking the New Zealand U-20, U-19 and her own New Zealand U-18 record of 53.50 seconds.
The men’s 400m came down to a thrilling finish as Lex Revell-Lewis battled hard against Australians Cooper Sherman and Terrell Thorne.
Sherman took the win in a time of 46.14 seconds, while Revell-Lewis and Thorne tied with a swift 46.39 seconds. Although the men’s 400m record still stands, Revell-Lewis will be back in action this weekend at Hamilton’s Porritt Classic, where he will have another crack at becoming New Zealand’s fastest man over the one-lap distance.
Claiming the women’s 1500m top spot was Laura Nagel in a time of 4:17.58. Personal-bests were achieved by Saki Katagihara from Japan, who crossed the line in second place in time of 4:19.22, and youngster Scarlett Robb, who clocked an impressive 4:22.87.
Paralympian Mitch Joynt made history in the men’s mixed para 100m as he flew down the track, smashing his own New Zealand men’s T64 para record with an astonishing time of 11.82 seconds and further cementing his place as one of the country’s top para sprinters.
Paralympics silver medalist Will Steadman clocked a time of 12.57 seconds, winning the men’s mixed para 100m race overall by the percentage of world record achieved, with his time being 93.24 percent of the world record.
In the 400m hurdles, Australian Joshua Hook stormed down the home straight to take the win with a time of 50.99 seconds. Ayesha Ibrahim of Japan claimed the women’s title, running a personal best of 57.54 seconds.
Lui Kitada of Japan equalled the pole vault meeting record of 5.32m, and Sae Takemoto of Japan set a women’s javelin throw meeting record of 60.51m.
Many other athletes also achieved personal- and season-bests, setting the stage for an exciting summer ahead as we inch closer to the New Zealand Track and Field Championships in early March.
The next stop of the Summer Circuit is the 2025 International Track Meeting on February 22 in Christchurch.