Why Joseph Parker is destined to be robbed of undisputed title shot against Oleksandr Usyk
But, in his heart of hearts, the Kiwi heavyweight knows he will be robbed of his chance to challenge for the treasured undisputed crown.
Parker has ticked every possible box
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Newsroom
an hour ago
- Newsroom
Kiwi racing driver's narrow road to the top
Rianna O'Meara-Hunt is racing towards the history books. The talented 23-year-old driver is currently based in the UK as she looks to accelerate her motor sport dreams and become the first Kiwi woman to drive in the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans race. En route, she also has her sights on becoming the first New Zealander to secure a drive in F1 Academy, the female-only Formula 4 single seater racing championship founded by the Formula One group. Currently in its third season, F1 Academy also has its own Netflix series, to go alongside the trailblazing 'Drive to Survive.' Raised as an only child in Wellington, O'Meara-Hunt wasn't born into a racing family. But Martin found car racing when Rianna was a child, buying himself a suitable vehicle, with Rianna going to the track each and every time to watch. 'I ended up falling in love. They could see how my eyes lit up and how much I was passionate about trying to help the mechanic, at four-years-old, and cleaning the car and helping them out in any way I could really,' says O'Meara-Hunt. When she was eight, she went to a racetrack at Kaitoke in Upper Hutt and there was a go-kart for sale. She tried it out and by the end of the day it was hers. That was the start of the journey that has taken her halfway around the world, to the birthplace of Shakespeare, Stratford-upon-Avon, where O'Meara-Hunt now lives. Rianna and her mum Katrina and dad Martin after taking the win at Bolivar, Australia. Before long, O'Meara-Hunt and her parents were travelling New Zealand most weekends, racing the go-kart in the cadet classes (aged 6-10) wherever they could. When she advanced to junior classes (up to 16), the family brought in coach Arie Hutton to try and take her talents to the next level. It worked, as she saw an improvement in her skills, alongside an increased confidence. Hutton didn't miss a weekend for about four years, and was like an older brother to her. With plenty of success in her home country, the natural progression for O'Meara-Hunt was to head to Australia. But as a 15-year-old, it was a step up in class and intensity. 'It was eye-opening. It was a lot more aggressive, more fierce, and coming in as a Kiwi, I wasn't loved. It was really wild,' she says. Mum and Dad took her to one side; if she wanted to continue competing in Australia, it was a lot more money, a lot more time away from school. They said if her grades dropped, the racing was going to stop. But O'Meara-Hunt was determined and her schoolwork didn't suffer. Her go-karting CV grew, with race wins and podium places coming on a regular basis across multiple events and classes. In 2022, she took her first steps into the world of car racing behind the wheel of a Toyota GT86 in the Toyota 86 Championship in New Zealand Later that year came other huge opportunity, as O'Meara-Hunt entered the Heart of Racing shootout, which would provide two female drivers the opportunity to compete in the SRO GT4 America SprintX Championship. Rianna at her first race in the States, at Sonoma Raceway. Photo: Supplied O'Meara-Hunt reached out to Kiwi motorsport legend Greg Murphy to help her and the pair worked together for two days at Hampton Downs. 'He took time out of his mega busy schedule and taught me the fastest ways to learn this car,' she says 'It was amazing. He sat in the passenger seat which not many people do anymore, because obviously you've got no control, but his trust in me was amazing. He coached me through the laps and we went from 10 seconds off the pace to two seconds off his lap time which was really cool.' After those two days, O-Meara-Hunt received an email saying she was one of nine drivers selected from more than 100 applicants to move to the next stage of selection. She was flown to Phoenix, Arizona, for three days that would decide the two drivers to be chosen. The intense few days not only covered her driving abilities, but also fitness, ability to take on data, skills in dealing with the media, as well as her ability to fit in with the other drivers and team members. Three weeks later the decision came through – she had been chosen as one of the two winners, landing a seat alongside American driver Hannah Grisham for the 2023 GT4 season. 'With the opportunity, I couldn't say no, so I just went into the deep end. It was a long year of travel back and forward to America,' O'Meara-Hunt says. O'Meara-Hunt's first weekend racing in the UK, with Forsetti motorsport, and trophies she collected over that weekend. Photo: Supplied Behind the wheel of an Aston Martin GT4, the pair made history in 2023, becoming the first all-female drivers to win a race driving that car, with their victory coming at the famous Indianapolis track. After the success of 2023, O-Meara-Hunt continued her development overseas from her UK base. She collected more podiums driving a BMW GT4 and also competed in her first 24-hour race, in Dubai. That experience cemented her ambition to drive at Le Mans. 'That's the moment I knew this was exactly what I wanted to do, this is what it's all about,' she says. At the start of 2024, O-Meara-Hunt was chosen to be a part of the Aston Martin driver academy, but she is realistic and knows that the path to the very top gets harder the closer you get 'It's been a year of trying to connect to as many people and businesses as I can to create this dream further,' she says. 'My end goal is still to be the first Kiwi female to go and do 24 hours at Le Mans, but I'm finding that the road that I thought I needed to take to get there is probably not the fastest road. My eyes got opened to the idea of F1 Academy last year in about November. I had a few teams show interest but I need to get the single seater experience before they can say, yeah, you're in.' As she looks to secure an F1 Academy spot for 2026, O'Meara-Hunt has test sessions booked for this month at one of the UK's most famous tracks, Donnington Park, and is hopeful new sponsors are on the way to help her cause. Ultimately, she wants to create more history for herself and her country and has the drive and belief to hopefully make it a reality. 'Kiwis can do very cool things in sport and we've proven that for a very long time.'
Otago Daily Times
2 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Chignell adds cross-country bronze medal to collection
Oli Chignell. PHOTO: PETER MCINTOSH Oli Chignell has added another medal to his collection. The dominant Otago long-distance runner won bronze in the men's senior 10,000m at the New Zealand cross-country championships in a frosty Christchurch at the weekend. Chignell finished on the podium in 31min 42.06sec, behind hometown winner Connor Melton (Canterbury), who won gold in 31min 16.27sec. Toby Gualter (Wellington) claimed silver in 31min 19.96sec. Otago runner Becky Aitkenhead made her return to the elite circuit after the birth of her first child and was the fifth Kiwi home in the women's senior event in 38min 43.57sec. Queenstown runners Siena Mackley and James Weber, racing for Southland, had strong events. Mackley won silver in the women's under-20 event in 21min 41.53sec and Weber was the 10th New Zealander home in the men's edition in 26min 52.15sec. Gore runner Millie McFadzien was fifth in the women's under-18 event — and the only South Islander in the top 10 — in 19min 05.11sec. Mackley, Weber and McFadzien joined Finn Bell under the Queenstown banner to win gold in the mixed 4x2000m under-20 relay in 25min 51.01sec. Otago's other relay teams punched above their weight. Hill City-University's team of Oliver O'Sullivan, Aly Cragie, Mark Geddes and Taryn McLean scooped gold in the mixed 4x2000m over-35 category in 28min 46.80sec. Leith's team of Aaron Eyles, Tess Molloy, Craig Iversen and Mel Aitken secured silver in the same race in 29min 49sec. Hill City young runners Will Bolter, Zoe Lithgow, Caleb Dobier and Eva McLean gained bronze in the mixed 4x2000m under-16 race in 28min 23.10sec. Otago runners were strong across the board from masters to junior events. Kristy Eyles picked up a bronze in the women's over-35 race, finishing the 6000m course in 24min 08.10sec. McLean was not far behind in finishing fifth in 24min 12.61sec. Craigie and Aitken finished ninth and 11th respectively and they helped Otago finish as the second team home overall. Georgina Pakeho won bronze in the women's 50-54 event in 26min 47.51sec. Phil Napper finished fourth in the men's over 65 category in 26min 24.50sec and Ian McDonald was hot on his heels for fifth in 26min 27.67sec. Iversen finished fourth in the men's 50-64 race in 29min 58.22sec. Young Georgina Benson, racing for Hill City-University, came fourth in the girls under-14 race in 12min 02.64sec.
1News
18 hours ago
- 1News
Liam Lawson eighth at Hungarian Grand Prix, finishes ahead of Verstappen
Lando Norris held off McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri in a tense finish to win the Hungarian Grand Prix overnight, while Liam Lawson picked up points for the third time in the last four Grand Prix. The 23-year-old Kiwi continued his hot streak with an eighth place finish, beating four time world champion Max Verstappen. The Racing Bulls driver began the race in ninth place, and made his move on the opening lap to pass his former Red Bull teammate. Verstappen hit back on lap two, but Lawson retook the spot later in the race after the Dutchman pitted. Meanwhile, McLaren's Lando Norris had to work hard to keep the win as Piastri loomed behind him in the final laps. ADVERTISEMENT Norris celebrated with a double fist pump on top of his car after claiming McLaren's 200th F1 win by less than a second to cut Piastri's standings lead to nine points from 16. The morning's headlines in 90 seconds, including toddler found in suitcase on bus, Russian volcano erupts, and Liam Lawson pips former world champion. (Source: 1News) "I'm dead. It was tough, it was tough," Norris said. "The final stint, with Oscar catching, I was pushing flat out." It was the fourth one-two finish in a row for McLaren, with Norris winning three of those head-to-heads as the momentum swung back toward him ahead of the four-week midseason break. Making the right call A year on from a contentious first win for Piastri over Norris in Hungary after awkward radio messages, this was a race decided on the track. McLaren driver Lando Norris of Britain celebrates on the podium after winning the Hungarian Formula One Grand Prix race . (Source: Associated Press) ADVERTISEMENT Norris briefly dropped to fifth on the first lap but made his tires last to stop only once, while Piastri changed tires twice. Piastri steadily cut into Norris' lead in the latter stages of the race but the British driver held on with old tires to take the win. Piastri nearly collided with his teammate when he locked up a wheel while trying to pass on the second-to-last lap. Still, it was Norris who held on to have the last word in their title fight. "Good racing. Good strategy. Good call," was how Norris summed it up on the radio. Piastri's two-stop approach happened because, at the time, he and McLaren were more focused on getting ahead of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, whose pace eventually fell away anyway. "It wasn't obvious that we just had enough pace to blow past (Leclerc)," Piastri said. "For Lando, there was virtually nothing to lose by trying a one-stop race. For myself, potentially there was." George Russell took third for Mercedes after fighting his way past Leclerc in a contest that earned Leclerc a time penalty for nearly colliding with Russell while defending. Defending champion Verstappen was only ninth after being off the pace all week. He stays third in the standings, but drops to 97 points off leader Piastri in another heavy blow to an already unlikely title defence. ADVERTISEMENT Ferrari frustration Leclerc started on pole position with hopes of landing Ferrari its first Grand Prix win of the year, but ended up fourth after a radio message of what he later admitted was misplaced blame aimed at the team. "This is so incredibly frustrating. We've lost all competitiveness," he told the team over the radio. However, he later told broadcaster Sky Sports that the car actually had a chassis problem he only learned about later. A day after calling himself "useless" and questioning whether Ferrari might need to replace him, Lewis Hamilton ended up 12th, exactly where he started. His comments after the race seemed set to fuel more speculation about his troubled first season with the Italian team. "There's a lot going on in the background that is not great," Hamilton told Sky Sports, without explaining further. Hamilton never seemed to have the pace to fight for points and was at one stage forced off the track by Verstappen as his old rival overtook him. Aston's day Fernando Alonso took Aston Martin's best result of the season with fifth on a slow track that suited his car, with Gabriel Bortoleto a surprise sixth for Sauber and Lance Stroll seventh in the other Aston Martin. - Additional reporting by 1News
