Athletics Insight: Former Whanganui athlete Max Attwell sets decathlon PB in Poland
Before embarking on my northern hemisphere travels, I had considered returning home via Christchurch for last weekend's South China Airways Athletics New Zealand Cross Country Championships. I had to be content to watch highlights from the livestream.
Hannah Gapes, back home from her US university where she had finished fourth in the 2024 NCAA cross country, was the runaway winner of the women's race in her first 10km cross country. As the winner, she received a golden ticket to the World Cross Country Championships next January in Florida. Connor Melton won his ticket, retaining his senior men's title.
It was good to see Manawatū/Whanganui success from Justin Cunningham in the under-18s.
Track runner Cunningham from Palmerston North, who impressed by taking a bronze medal in the under-18 1500m in March, travelled south hoping for a top 10 finish. He remained around 10th for most of the 8km race. The pace at the front was conservative as leading runners watched each other, leaving the inexperienced Cunningham running comfortably close to the leading group.
In the final stages, Cunningham moved to the front and outsprinted his opposition to a surprised and worthy victory – even the livestream commentators were taken by surprise, searching through the start list to confirm his identity.
Whanganui's Sally Gibbs was sixth across the line in the combined masters grade and was a convincing winner in the 60-64 grade, adding another title to her impressive record. Paula Conder was 43rd and fifth in her grade. They combined with Robert Conder and Russell Spencer for Whanganui in the mixed relay later in the day in a team that finished 11th.
In my final days in Europe while travelling, I was able to follow former Whanganui athlete Max Attwell's successful decathlon in Poland.
Thanks to coach Terry Lomax, who was with Attwell in Poland, I was added to the WhatsApp group. Unlike others from New Zealand in the group, I was receiving up-to-date information as it happened in the same time zone.
Attwell, 28, left Whanganui Collegiate in 2014. He took up athletics in Year 12 after three years in rowing. I remember him asking me what event he should take up and I replied that I thought he should try decathlon – one of my better pieces of advice. My other good piece of advice was recommending Terry Lomax as a coach when he went to start his engineering degree at Canterbury University.
Attwell has won 24 New Zealand medals since leaving school, including seven gold medals, six of which have been in decathlon. Attwell has also won two Oceania gold medals in decathlon and in 2019 finished fourth in the World University Games decathlon.
In Poland, Attwell set a personal best of 7822 points, surpassing his previous of 7773 points set in 2023.
In reaching this total (fifth all-time New Zealand performance), Attwell set personal bests in 110m hurdles (15.25s), javelin (54.75m), 100m metres (11.04s), and 400m (47.50s). It is no wonder that among his Athletics New Zealand medals there have been relay medals for Canterbury.
Attwell has overcome serious injury and is an outstanding example of where perseverance, dedication and determination can take an athlete. Eleven years out of school, Attwell is an outstanding role model.
I was saddened on my return to read of the death of Allan Cherry.
Allan, from Taihape, was a former athlete and coach, and a West Coast North Island selector in the 1970s.
He was best known as a leading official and was ever-present at major meetings throughout New Zealand. He was a key official for many years at all the major events at Cooks Gardens. He was liked and respected by all athletes and always travelled with club and centre teams. His memorial service will be held in Taihape today.
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