Latest news with #WorldCrossCountryChampionships
NZ Herald
6 days ago
- Sport
- NZ Herald
Athletics Insight: Former Whanganui athlete Max Attwell sets decathlon PB in Poland
Jones has an exciting academic and athletic future and we wish him well. 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.
The Citizen
13-06-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Elite marathon runner Mathews Leeto dies in car accident
Leeto and his coach, Adam Motlagale, both represented South Africa at international level. Mathews Leeto crosses the finish line in second place at the 2024 SA Marathon Championships in Durban. Picture: Darren Stewart/Gallo Images The South African road running community is in mourning following the sudden death of elite athlete Mathews Leeto. According to Hollywood Athletics Club, 34-year-old Leeto and his coach Adam Motlagale both died in a car accident on Wednesday. 'Mathews was a valued part of our club and community, a committed athlete, supportive teammate, and a kind hearted individual known affectionately to many as 'The General',' the club said in a statement. 'His quiet strength and gentle nature left a lasting impression on everyone he trained and competed alongside. 'He leaves behind a young family, and our thoughts are with them as they face this heartfelt loss.' Memorable career Leeto, who was based in Potchefstroom, represented South Africa at the World Cross Country Championships in 2023 and 2024. Perhaps the best performance of his career was achieved at the Durban International Marathon last year where he finished second in a 42km personal best of 2:09:47, securing the silver medal in the national championships. He was first across the line at the SA 10km Championships in Johannesburg last year, though he was later disqualified for not wearing a licence number. Motlagale, 64, was also a former elite athlete. He finished eighth at the World Half-Marathon Championships in Brussels in 1993.
Telegraph
06-03-2025
- Sport
- Telegraph
Meet the Greta Thunberg of UK Athletics – who attends Extinction Rebellion rallies
When Innes FitzGerald emerged two winters ago as the outstanding young British distance runner of her generation, it was not long before she became even more widely known as the 'Greta Thunberg of sport'. She had performed magnificently to finish fourth in the Under-20 European Cross Country Championships in Italy – aged just 16 – following a 20-hour coach and train journey from Devon to Turin that involved even cycling across Paris on a fold-up bike to make a rail connection. She then promptly turned down the chance to travel to Australia for the 2023 World Cross Country Championships. 'I would never be comfortable flying in the knowledge that people could be losing their livelihoods, homes and loves ones as a result,' she wrote in an open to British Athletics. Innes FitzGerald enjoys a runaway victory in the U20/17 women's race at the Cardiff Cross Challenge. — AW (@AthleticsWeekly) November 9, 2024 FitzGerald would then follow up winning the London Mini Marathon by joining Extinction Rebellion activists who had gathered in Parliament Square. Now 18, the environmental campaigning continues – and her running has gone from strength to strength – but the realities of pursuing her athletics dream has also prompted some deeply uncomfortable choices. She will make her senior international debut at the European Indoor Championship in Apeldoorn in the Netherlands this week, where she has travelled with the rest of a near 50-strong British team by air. 'Unfortunately, this time, I haven't managed to sort it out logistically – it's been quite complicated,' she explains. 'I've been very busy with uni stuff and other different family issues. I do feel like I should be getting the train there, and that's definitely something I'm going to be doing in the future. 'For me, it's quite gutting that the whole team aren't going together on the train, considering it's so close and so easy to do. Even though I might be doing the wrong thing, just still saying that it's wrong is better than just doing it and not saying it's wrong. 'Whenever I'm getting on a flight, it's never easy. I'm always thinking, 'Oh, I shouldn't be doing this', but I know that I've got to go to these championships to fill my dreams as a professional athlete. So it's just about balancing that and trying to do as much as I can in other areas of my life to try and make up for it, and also just speak out.' A winner of the BBC Green Sport Award in 2023, FitzGerald is flattered by the Thunberg comparison. 'I think Greta is very inspirational,' she says. 'She kind of managed to mobilise so many young people. I think it's a compliment to be associated with her. If I can do anything near to what she's done, then I'll be very happy. I strongly believe that we, as athletes, have a responsibility.' After growing up on a farm in Devon, FitzGerald's interest in climate change stemmed from her father and she now tries to make environmentally friendly changes in her life and will look into how she can carbon offset in the future. She has also been talking with a sports-focused group called Champions for Earth, which is trying to organise mass participation running events with a low carbon footprint. 'I feel like I have a responsibility to look after the people who are in the Global South, or directly affected by extreme weather events,' she says. 'We're not, in the UK, affected by it, but I feel the pain they're feeling, and I feel like it's my responsibility in a more privileged position to help them, and raise awareness for the situations they're in as a result of our actions.' Since her running breakthrough two years ago, FitzGerald has dominated the European Under-20 Cross Country Championships with back-to-back wins. She then set a European indoor 3,000 metres age-group record of 8min 40.05sec earlier this year. Her strength and bold front-running style has prompted comparison with Paula Radcliffe. She got into running as part of her sister's Duke of Edinburgh award and then built up to five 20-minute runs a week during the Covid lockdown. FitzGerald was soon then breaking 18 minutes at her local Seaton Parkrun before persuading her dad to start taking her training at Exeter Harriers, where she has since been mentored by Gavin Pavey and his wife Jo, a former European 10,000m champion and the only British athlete to have competed at five Olympic Games. After completing A-Levels last year in biology, physics and maths, FitzGerald is now studying for a degree in sport and exercise science at the University of Exeter. 'I don't like bigging people up too much, but Innes is very good,' says Gavin Pavey. 'We never know what's going to happen in the future, but it looks promising. She's doing things that other young athletes at this stage haven't done. What's good about what we're doing is her [weekly mileage] volumes aren't very high.' FitzGerald is also emphasising a long-term approach. 'I never really thought I'd have this opportunity – I don't think there's too much pressure on me,' she says. 'I just want to go out there, enjoy it, soak it all up, and hopefully get into that final. That's where I believe I belong. Hopefully compete for one of those medals, but just getting close. There's lots more years of my career left. I don't want to jump into anything too soon, because I'll have nowhere to progress to. It's just about building up that mileage and intensity gradually.'
