Aussie puts heat on Nick Willis

By TONY SMITH - The Press Last updated 05:00 19/03/2010

DON SCOTT/The Press ON THE UP: Jeff Riseley, of Australia, leads Kiwi Nick Willis during the 800m at Christchurch's QEII international track meet last night. Australian Nick Bromley was third.

Olympic medallist Nick Willis now knows he has a race on his hands to retain his Commonwealth Games 1500m gold medal after his second middle-distance defeat this month to rising Australian star Jeff Riseley.

Willis tried vainly to ride home on the famous QEII roar last night but Riseley was too strong over the final 50m of an epic 800m tussle at the International Track Meet in Christchurch.

The Australian, who ran his first sub-four minute mile to win last year's Christchurch meet, pronounced Christchurch his happy hunting ground and predicted "a good rivalry with [Willis] over the next four to five years".

"Riseley's the man on the up. He'll definitely be one of my main competition at the Commonwealth Games [in New Delhi in October]," said Willis.

He admitted it "hurt emotionally" to lose to the 23-year-old Australian again for the second time in a fortnight after Riseley's 1500m Melbourne Track Classic triumph.

"This hurt more, because I wanted to do something for the New Zealand fans."

Riseley, who prefers the 1500m, said it was a great confidence booster to beat Willis twice in Commonwealth Games year.

"I've really let him know I'm after him. He's established himself as one of the best milers in the world, he showed that with his silver medal in Beijing. He's the one that I'm after."

Willis had hoped to run around his personal best of 1min 45.54sec but Riseley, who slowed a little near the end, won in 1min 47.75sec, with Willis at 1min 48.12sec – more than 3sec slower than Peter Snell's 1964 New Zealand record – set on grass – which Willis is still a little "in awe of".

Riseley made a savvy move down the back straight last night, which Willis covered but the local hero "just didn't quite have that last 50m".

"I was out wide in lane three with 150 to go, which wasn't ideal but he ran very well and he's obviously got an extra couple of yards on me at this time of year. He beat me by about the same margin in Melbourne. There's work to be done, it's humbling but that only makes you more hungry."

Willis, competing before his extended family, said it was "great to hear the crowd get in behind us in the last 80".

"I was just frustrated I couldn't respond and give them something extra [to cheer]." He had tried to get the "crowd pumped up" while hoping they wouldn't think "who's that show-off". "But there was no showing off. I was just frustrated, I couldn't respond.

"Obviously I want to be the best. But that's sport, you've got to take the losses, it makes the victories even more memorable," the Kiwi Olympian said.

But Riseley should be warned. Willis said Commonwealth Games success would "come down to who can time their training best" with October falling a good month or two after the regular season.

Meanwhile, Australian world champion Dani Samuels beat two-time former Commonwealth Games gold medallist Beatrice Faumuina in an absorbing discus duel.

Samuels, 21, hurled 63.38m on her sixth and final throw after three earlier 60m-plus distances.

Faumuina, 35, had four throws over 59m before biffing her last attempt out to 61.10m. "That's just 1cm off [my season's best]," an animated Faumuina said.

Samuels said she had enjoyed throwing against Faumuina on her home turf. "It's great to have that international competition. She threw 61.10 on her last throw and that definitely pushed me to 63," said the Sydneysider.

Faumuina 'rapt' over clash with world champ

Former world discus champion Beatrice Faumuina says tonight's tussle in Christchurch with world titleholder Dani Samuels will be her biggest in New Zealand for 12 years.

"The last time in women's discus that we had someone of that calibre come over here was in 1998 when [Atlanta Olympic Games] silver medallist Natalya Sadova, of Russia, was here for the Robin Tait Classic," Faumuina said yesterday.

"I'm really rapt that the sponsors are really supporting track and field and have given us an opportunity to compete at home against a world champion. I don't think, in women's discus, we've seen that for quite some time."

Twelve years ago, Faumuina toppled Sadova – the 2004 Olympic champion who was later banned for taking steroids – and set a New Zealand residents' record of 67.58 metres.

But the 1997 world champion will have to be at her best at Queen Elizabeth II Park to eclipse rising star Samuels. The 21-year-old Sydneysider became the youngest world discus champion in Berlin last year with a then-personal best of 65.44m.

Both athletes have already met the qualifying targets for the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi in October.

Faumuina won the Commonwealth gold in 1998 and 2002 after a silver in Victoria in 1994. Samuels, former world junior champion, won the Commonwealth bronze medal in Melbourne in 2006 as an 18-year-old, beating Faumuina into fourth place.

She is looking forward to meeting Faumuina on New Zealand soil. "Beatrice has been coming over to Sydney since I was about 16 to compete at our nationals and our track classic meets, so it's good to come and compete against her here."

Both athletes are in good shape but are acutely aware they have a long season ahead of them before the Commonwealth Games.

Faumuina, 35, has had a consistent summer, several times throwing over 60m, with with a season-best of 61.11m

Samuels had a month off after her European season – "A bit longer than I wanted to, but my trainer told me to have that long off" – and later suffered a wrist injury.

She said she had been "throwing quite well", registering a near-60m distance at the Zatopek Classic in Sydney last December. She set a personal best of 65.84m – 40 centimetres better than her Berlin world championships effort – at the Sydney Track Classic last month.

"I was quite happy with that!" she said.

Samuels rated her efforts in Melbourne a fortnight ago as "the most consistent" of her career, culminating in a top throw of 62.97m.

It all points to a challenging night in the circle for Faumuina, who seems fitter and fresher than she did at the Beijing Olympics 18 months ago.

Faumuina attributes her form to "staying at home last winter" to focus on fine-tuning her technique with coach Ross Dallow, who became her mentor on Boxing Day 2007.

After "16 or 17 years" of international competition, it had been "like learning to walk again", she said. But the Aucklander believes, for the first time in her long career, that she now "understands the mechanics of how to throw" and is reaping the benefits.

Faumuina, who is now working and studying in Auckland, will not begin competing overseas until June.

But she said her fitness and training quality had "improved a lot" under Dallow and she was "just jazzed" about the season ahead.

Queen Bea faces showdown

•  Steve Kilgallon – Sunday Star Times. Sunday 21st February.

BEATRICE FAUMUINA will get the first big test of her resolve, and her Commonwealth Games ambitions, with a local showdown next month with Australian world champion Dani Samuels.
Samuels yesterday agreed to compete in the discus at the international track meet in Christchurch on March 18 - the only chance for the Commonwealth's two best-ranked throwers to meet before Delhi.
Faumuina's coach Ross Dallow said having Samuels come across the Tasman to meet Faumuina suited their preparations perfectly. "One thing Beatrice has done in the past is pop overseas for a meeting and be undercooked and jetlagged . . . the lesson has been that unless there is something positive at the other end towards any future development, it's better to give it a miss, that's why we are pleased Dani is coming from Australia, " he said.
Faumuina, aiming for her fifth Commonwealth Games, was throwing last night as an invited guest at the under-21 international between Australia and New Zealand in Auckland, but is skipping this week's Sydney Classic - where Samuels will compete - to start another heavy training block.
"Beatrice is in a very good head space, " says Dallow. "Her performances to date are showing her hard work and a solid winter and we're both very encouraged by her results."
Track meet organiser Leyton Tremain said matching Faumuina and Samuels met his aim of finding quality overseas competition for leading Kiwis. "Beatrice is in a situation where she is not being challenged domestically, and Dani is in the same situation in Australia - bringing them together should create a good competition."
Samuels, 21, was bronze medallist at the 2006 Commonwealth Games, just ninth at the Olympics, but became the youngest-ever world champion in Berlin last year when she threw a personal best 65.44 metres.
The meet is the first time Faumuina, who has two Commonwealth Games golds and one silver and was the 1997 world champion, will be sighted in Christchurch since 2006. This season, her personal best is 61.11m, over 2m short of Samuel's season best, but she has surpassed the Games qualifying standard of 56m six times already.
The organisers have found solid 800m opposition for Nick Willis in Aussies Jeff Riseley and Nick Bromley and Irishman David Campbell and in the 200m, have added Irish 400m record-holder Joanne Cuddihy to offer competition for Monique Williams.

World Champion confirmed for ITM

12th February 2010

- Paul Coughlan

Former world discus champion Beatrice Faumuina is the latest international superstar to confirm an appearance at the International Track Meet on March 18 th at QEII Stadium in Christchurch .

Faumuina, the first New Zealander to win a world championships gold medal with her victory in the discus in 1997, is one of the established superstars of New Zealand athletics, and has had an extremely strong season in 2010 so far, with consistently her best performances for several years in winning the Capital Classic in Wellington, the Sylvia Potts Classic in Hastings, and the Cooks Classic in Wanganui, all with throws well beyond the Commonwealth Games qualifying distance of 56m. She has now broken the qualifying standard six times so far this season, with a best performance of 61.11m in Wellington last month. She will be hoping to repeat her 1998 and 2002 Commonwealth Games gold medals later this year in New Delhi , and is looking forward to continuing her rich vein of form at the ITM as she consistently throws further than the 60m mark.

Faumuina said today “I am looking forward to coming to compete in the International Meet in Christchurch , this is the first time the discus has been on the programme at this meet. QEII is such a great venue, and always gets a lot of public support”. It will be the first time she has competed in Christchurch since 2006.

Meet Director Craig Motley said “We are very pleased to secure an athlete of the calibre of Beatrice, she has been one of NZ track and field's shining lights for the last 15 or more years and is clearly back in excellent shape. She really hasn't been pushed this year, so we will certainly be looking to bring a strong international performer for her to compete against, to bring out the best in her.”

Faumuina was ranked third in the Commonwealth in 2009, and on performances so far this year would now be up to number two, behind the current world champion, Australian Dani Samuels.

Williams back for Christchurch meet

11th February 2010

- The Press

New Zealand sprinter Monique Williams will return to Chrsitchurch for the 200 meters at the international track meet on March 18, the same meet where she set a resident record for that distance last year. Williams will face competition from Irish 400m record holder Joanne Cuddihy, a Canberra-based doctor who has recorded 23.33 seconds for he 200m. The others in the field are New Zealand Olympic heptathlete Rebecca Wardell, and Auckland's Andrea Koenen the second-fastest Kiwi this season. Wardell will be busy, with four events on her card, as she builds up for the heptathlon at the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi in October. At last years meeting Williams ran 23.26sec to break the 27-year-old national residents record held by Kim Robertson. She ran 22.90sec at last August's world championships in Berlin. Beijing Olympic 1500m silver medalist Nick Willis will also run at the meeting.

10th January 2010

Willis opts for speed in Christchurch

- The Press

Olympic 1500m bronze – soon to be silver – medallist Nick Willis has confirmed that he will compete in the feature 800m event at the 2010 International Track Meet in Christchurch on March 18th at QE2 Stadium. This will be a key step in the Kiwi star's build-up to the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi in October, where he will seek to become the first athlete since Peter Snell in 1962 to win the 800m-1500m double.

Organisers have also confirmed that stars from the 2009 event who will be returning to compete are the mile winner Jeff Riseley, 3000m winner Ryan Gregson, and Irishman David Campbell, who finished third in the mile. In addition to these athletes, four-time Australian champion Nick Bromley will be challenging Willis in the 800m, and rising Australian stars Jeremy Roff and James Nipperess are competing in the 1500m.

Meet Director Craig Motley said “We are extremely excited at how the 2010 event is coming together, and it is promising to be bigger and better than 2009. We are getting a lot of interest from extremely high profile athletes in a range of events, and being a Commonwealth Games year a lot of athletes will look to a meet like this to chase qualifying performances.”

Although last year the main middle distance events were the mile & 3000m, the 2010 programme for both men & women is structured around championship distances (800m, 1500m, 5000m) to provide opportunities for athletes to target Commonwealth Games qualifying times.
Willis is currently in New Zealand for warm weather training, before returning to the US to race indoors in February. He will then return to Christchurch in March for the International Track Meet on the 18th and the national championships 8 days later.

15th December 2009

Athletics New Zealand

- Athletics in Action Article Dec 2009

•  Leyton Tremain

The meet that bills itself with the slogan “Track and Field at its best in New Zealand” - Christchurch's International Track Meet is returning for 2010. The International Track Meet (ITM) is the new comer to the domestic track and field scene here in New Zealand.

The ITM sets out to help promote our sport and to help facilitate our kiwi athletes' development. The event targets a mainstream audience and provides an alternative to the traditional Rugby, Netball and Cricket that generally dominate our sports entertainment. In its first year, a crowd of 3000 spectators helped the athletes achieve some great performances while thousands more enjoyed highlights on Sky Television.

The meet is proud to showcase a full spectrum of the sport outlining a pathway from 10 year old Colgate Games level competitors through to NZ Olympic Medalists and representatives. Events are chosen and tailored around our world ranked athletes and the meet is constructed to provide a stimulating competitive environment at home for our athletes to be challenged.

A successful debut in 2009 witnessed 23 athletes from five nations compete against many of New Zealand's best developing and established athletes resulting in two New Zealand and one Australian record. A large number of personal bests were also achieved throughout the full spectrum from junior athletes to men's mile winner Jeff Riseley (3:54.24) and runner up, compatriot Collis Birmingham who took a full 5 seconds off his PB running 3:54.36.

The local organising committee (LOC) is confident that the 2010 ITM on Thursday the 18th of March will be bigger and better. The meet will follow a similar format to last year with an emphasis on increasing the depth of international competitors across more fields. The long and high jumps will be awarded points as per the IAAF scoring tables allowing females to compete head to head with their male counterparts to really keep each other on their toes.

2010 will see the introduction of an U23 1500m that will pit top juniors against young senior athletes and bridge the gap in performance required to make the elite middle distance races and serves to further reinforce the pathway philosophy incorporated into this meet.

Another initiative this year is guaranteed ITM entry spots for high performers at key meetings throughout the track and field season. For example the winner of the women's 800m at the Sylvia Potts Classic will get a start in the ITM women's 800m and the winner of the NZ Secondary Schools SB 1500m will get a start in the U/23 1500m. For a full break down of qualifying races for guaranteed starts check out this website (entry standards).

Nick Willis has confirmed his support for the 2010 ITM and is a key driver behind the events inception. Willis will compete in either the 800 or 1500m. He will decide which event he will contest at the completion of his preparation early in the New Year. Willis will complete his preparation in NZ working alongside his brother Steve with their Kiwirun project. After being sidelined with injury days before last year's meet Willis is looking forward to competing in Christchurch and will return to the States for a couple of races prior to the ITM. Willis the reigning 1500m Commonwealth Games Champion is aware of the importance of his build up to the Commonwealth Games.

Athlete Liaison Manager, Craig Motley has received a very strong level of interest from across the Tasman. “Last year Australians dominated the distance events winning both elite miles and the men's 3000m. This was cemented with 2nd places in both men's and women's 800m, the men's elite mile and 3000m. With 3 of these 7 athletes recording personal bests many more are expected to travel”.

With the ITM only 10 days prior to our National Championships we are talking to international athletes about basing themselves in Canterbury for that period. The LOC in conjunction with Athletics Canterbury will also be holding an interclub prior to the ITM and athletes from around New Zealand are encouraged to participate if they are yet to achieve the performance standards required for entry into the ITM. The interclub provides an opportunity for enhanced competition with athletes travelling from different centres as they continue to develop before being inspired watching track and field at its best in New Zealand.

25th November 2009

Nick Willis to run in Christchurch event

By RICHARD KNOWLER - The Press

Olympic 1500m medallist Nick Willis has been confirmed to run in Christchurch next year, although in which event remains uncertain.

Willis has told the International Track Meet organisers he will contest either the 800m or 1500m at QEII on March 18. The Kiwi athlete is expected to be upgraded from the bronze to the silver medal following the International Olympics Committee's decision to strip Bahrain's Rashid Ramzi of the gold for doping in Beijing in 2008.

"He's not 100 per cent sure at this stage what events he will be in, but he has confirmed he will be competing at the meeting. He will wait and decide that in early January," meet organiser Leyton Tremain said. "I guess he will see how his preparation goes."

Willis is expected to spend about six weeks in New Zealand during the summer and will train with the Kiwirun tour in the North Island before returning to the United States.

There he is likely to enter the Reebok Boston Indoor Games on February 6.

The 26-year-old will also race at the national championships in Christchurch 10 days after the International Track Meet.

Willis was eager to compete in the International Mile race this year but was forced to withdraw because of a hamstring injury.

"He expressed a desire to want to compete in New Zealand and to bring athletes of his calibre to our shores, so that is why we are speaking to him and why the concept arose," Tremain said.

"It is a chance to race at home and an opportunity to help grow and develop the sport," he said.Willis might be wise not to hold his breath regarding an Olympic medal upgrade because Ramzi can still appeal via the Court of Arbitration.

Olympic gold medallist Valerie Vili is unlikely to enter the Christchurch event because of a crammed programme.

The shot putter is scheduled to attend the world indoor championships in Qatar the weekend before and the chances of being ready to compete again following a quick turnaround seem unlikely.

"She is someone we would love to get to our meeting, but unfortunately she is not competing until Sunday evening and our event is on the Thursday. Unfortunately, with all the travel there is not going to be enough time for her to be fresh enough to compete," Tremain said.

More than 3000 spectators were estimated to have attended last season's event, which broke even.

A volunteer organising committee runs the event on behalf of Athletics Canterbury.

Twenty-three athletes from five countries attended last season and it is hoped more will attend next year.

18th October 2009

Where there's a Willis there's a way

•  Steve Kilgallon – Sunday Star Times

NEW ZEALAND'S biggest track meeting in more than a decade is back on the calendar for 2010, with Olympic bronze medallist Nick Willis again involved in attracting world-class overseas athletes to compete in this country.

Christchurch's International Track Meet last March drew more than 3000 spectators to QEII Stadium - the best turnout for an athletics event in New Zealand in nearly 20 years.

Willis was pivotal in securing several top Americans and while he withdrew, injured, days before the event, he still fronted to sign autographs.

The meet broke even, prompting organiser Leyton Tremain to confirm yesterday that it would be held again in 2010 at the same venue on Thursday, March 18-10 days before the national athletics championships, also at QEII Stadium.

Last year, 23 athletes from five countries came here, including several top Australians and leading British middle- distance runner Andy Baddeley, and Tremain expects an increased overseas field next year, based on feedback from top Melbourne-based Kiwi 10km specialist Jason Woolhouse.

"Rumours and word of mouth is that there is a lot of interest," says Tremain, who will begin approaching athletes this week.

"People have been asking what our plans are . . . and we hope that the meeting will be bigger and better. Some of those Australian guys who didn't travel and were reserving judgement in year one are now keen to come over."

Tremain says several athletes used last year's meet as a springboard to more success. Jeff Riseley, who ran a personal best at the meet, went on to run a 3min 51sec mile in Europe while Collis Birmingham, second in the mile, later broke the Australian 10km record.

But Tremain says the purpose of the meet is to create strong fields for emerging Kiwi athletes to test themselves against and he plans to tailor- make races to suit runners such as Kiwi 200m runner Monique Williams. He says he won't expand the programme but is targeting much deeper fields.

"We've proven New Zealand can be competitive with the rest of the world," he says.

"Maybe people thought the world had moved on and we could no longer compete, but we have proven we can and we will target those events where we are competitive."

But he knows the crowd will be attracted by New Zealand's elite athletes - Willis, Valerie Vili and Kimberley Smith. Tremain says he has already talked to Vili's coach, Kirsten Hellier, and she is keen to compete but will have been involved in the world indoor championships a week earlier.

Willis is also unconfirmed. He will be returning to Wellington over the holiday season to help his brother Stephen launch a running tours venture, but the wedding of his best friend, top Canadian runner Nate Brannen, may clash with the Christchurch event.

Even if he doesn't compete, Willis will have a role. "Nick is very passionate about the meet, and he understands the importance of it for the sport," says Tremain. "He doesn't look at it as a race for himself but as an instrumental development tool for Kiwi athletes."

Meanwhile, the New Zealand xterra (off-road triathlon) championships are in Rotorua next Saturday, with Steven O'Callaghan and Kyle MacDonald and Ady Ngawati and Lara Phillips in the women's, both pros and age-group athletes qualify for the world trail running championships in Hawaii in December.

Pre Event Media Coverage - Friday 13th March 2009

4 March 2009
For immediate release

Willis withdraws from mile field

Olympic bronze 1500m runner Nick Willis announced yesterday that he
will be unable to join the mile field in next Friday’s International
Track Meet due to a hip injury.

Willis, who had stated his intention to target John Walker’s
longstanding NZ all comers record at the meet, will still be in
Christchurch for the track meet and will be undertaking all his
intended promotional appearances.

“This has been extremely heartbreaking for me as I have been wanting
desperately to race some world-class races in New Zealand since the
Olympic Games” said Willis yesterday. “The event organisers in
Christchurch have done such a fantastic job at putting up high quality
fields that the meet will be successful with me watching from the
sidelines. I’m excited I can still be involved talking to the kids
and signing autographs before and after the race.”

With Willis’s withdrawal from the mile, 2008 world’s fastest miler
Andrew Baddeley will start the race as favourite as he and Beijing
Olympian training partner Jeff Riseley attempt Walkers record.
The pair will face strong competition from the five other sub-four
minute milers in the field,including 3:53s milers Lachlan Chisholm
and double US indoor 1500m champion Rob Myers, Australian Beijing
Olympian Collis Birmingham and the fastest New Zealander in the
race Gareth Hyett.

Willis has also withdrawn from his only other NZ race the Milestone
Street Mile in Petone but will also attend that event for promotional
purposes.

Ends

1 March 2009
For immediate release

Record-breaking sprinters to race in Christchurch

Christchurch sports fans will have an opportunity to see brand new NZ sprint record holders Monique Williams and David Ambler in action when they race in Christchurch this month.

Triple NZ sprint champion Monique Williams, who broke Kim Robertson's 30 year old NZ national 200m record on Friday in Sydney with a time of 22.98s will join the 200m field in Christchurch at the International Track Meet on March 13th .

Also racing in Christchurch is new NZ national M19 100m record holder David Ambler, a local Canterbury athlete who broke Matt Brown's 2006 record in Sydney on Friday with a time of 10.41s.

Six other international athletes who set personal bests in Sydney on Friday will also race at the Christchurch meet on March 13, fuelling expectations of top performances in all events.

27 February 2009
For immediate release

Top US pacemaker for Willis record attempt

The battle between Nick Willis and Andrew Baddeley for John Walker's 28 year old New Zealand allcomers mile record is set for a blistering pace with the confirmation of top US miler Rob Myers this week as pacemaker for the March 13th race.

With the mile field for the Christchurch event the best assembled in New Zealand for at least 25 years, and most of New Zealand's fastest 1500m prospects racing in their own right, organisers were forced to look overseas for a top class runner who could run Willis and Baddeley through to the later stages of the race at the pace necessary to attack Walker's record of 3:50.6 for the best time set on NZ soil.

“It takes a top runner in their own right to have the speed and strength to lead a field for 2-3 laps at the right pace” said Meet Director Craig Motley. “Myers is a sub-four minute miler and a training partner of Nick's, and securing a pacemaker of his calibre makes it far more likely that the record attempt will be successful”.

A member of Willis's US training squad, Myers is a former US representative, is ranked in the top 20 in the world this year and has a mile personal best time of 3:53.78.

The More FM Mile will be the headline event of the International Track Meet to be held in Christchurch on 13th March, featuring top local and international athletic talent.

For further information please contact Leyton Tremain: 021 719 900

Event website - www.internationaltrackmeet.co.nz
Rob Myers website - www.rutoughenough.com
Nick Willis website – www.willisrunning.com
Andrew Baddeley website - www.andrewbaddeley.co.uk

The Press, Tuesday, 17 February 2009
Young sprinter breaks record

Sprinter David Ambler broke the Canterbury record for the 100 metres, clocking 10.47 seconds competing in Sydney at the New South Wales track and field championships.

Ambler, still a junior, competed in the open men's division last weekend and won the event after being the top qualifier from the heats and semifinals earlier in the day.

Ambler said the conditions were not that favourable, with a slight headwind and a wet track after plenty of rain during the day, but he still managed a personal best time. Ambler trimmed almost a 10th of a second off the record he jointly shared with Scott Bowden of 10.56s to claim the record after equalling Bowden's 20-year record in December in Dunedin.

Ambler, coached by Christchurch sprint coach Andrew Maclennan, is aiming to break the New Zealand junior record of 10.43s this weekend when he competes in Canberra at the ACT Track and Field Championships.

17th February 2009
For Immediate Release

Miles of Talent for Christchurch Track Meet

Christchurch will host an International Track and Field meeting on Friday the 13 th of March 2009. This two hour meeting will feature many of New Zealand 's top athletes and provide competition from Australian athletes in many events. This competitive opportunity should result in many personal best performances as our athletes peak in preparation for the national champs only two weeks later. The International Track Meet will bring together top children's and secondary schools relay teams, paralympic, provincial, national and international athletes to deliver a nights competition that is sure to entertain the crowds.

Jessica Hamill, New Zealand Paralympic representative will compete in Athletes With Disabilities (AWD) Shot Put where she holds both the New Zealand and Oceania records at 7.12 meters. Alongside this competition will be the All Comers Shot Put where women and men, sporting code versus code will all compete against each other for ultimate supremacy. The men headed up by Commonwealth Games Decathlete Brent Newick, former Crusaders Rugby Player Pete Bowden and former Highlander Dan Charteris will use the standard shot weight (7.26kg) while the women use their standard shot (4 kg). Silver Ferns captain Julie Seymour will have good company with Commonwealth Games Heptathletes Rebecca Wardell and Sarah Cowley in the girls camp. Currently Newdick has a personal best 1cm further than Wardell and with athletes competing not only for their gender but also their code and personal pride, this event will be closely followed and is sure to be a fierce competition.

New Zealand 's Nick Willis will attempt to break John Walker's 28 year old New Zealand Mile Resident Record to claim the fastest mile ever run in New Zealand . Willis who has already broken Walkers National 1500m record is showing fantastic early form this season finishing second to World Champion Bernard Lagat at the Milrose Games where he comfortably broke 4 minutes on the tight and demanding 145m indoor track in his first race. In Willis's second outing he won the Reebok Boston Indoor Games Mile by over a second to clock 3:53.54. This time is within three seconds of Walkers record that he will be chasing in Christchurch in March. Indoor races by nature are slower than outdoor with tighter tracks slowing the runners down and offering fewer opportunities to pass.

The More FM International Mile boasts a field containing seven current sub 4 minute milers from NZ, Australia , Ireland and England including five Olympians. Meet organisers had secured the services of Melbourne Commonwealth Games 1500m Silver and Bronze medalists Nate Brannen (Canada) and Mark Fountain (Australia) however Brannen's season has been disrupted by a flare up of an old injury while Fountain was tripped in a race breaking his collarbone. Such is the close nature of middle distance running where falls are commonplace when athletes jostle for position as the pace often surges during tactical battles. Andrew Baddeley was the victim of such misfortune when he and Craig Mottram fell during the Melbourne Commonwealth Games 1500m final. Baddeley is hungry to beat Willis in Christchurch after his Commonwealth Games dream was shattered in the fall. Baddeley was the fastest miler in the world in 2008 and won the Dream Mile at the Oslo Golden League and will ensure Willis doesn't have the race all his own way.

Double Olympian (Atlanta and Sydney) Chris Donaldson who has dominated New Zealand sprinting for over a decade by claiming both the 100m and 200m New Zealand titles from 1997 - 2000 and the 100m title in 2007 and 2008 is back in his spikes as part of his preparation to represent New Zealand in the 4 man Bobsleigh at the upcoming 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. Vancouver will add to Donaldson's outstanding career spanning three Olympics and two Commonwealth Games. Donaldson will face strong competition in Christchurch from our best current sprinters who will be lead by Beijing Olympian James Dolphin.

The international track meeting at QEII Stadium will also feature Aranui High Schools acclaimed Jazz Band and showcase New Zealand 's best athletes through the full spectrum from top Colgate Games teams (under 14 years) to professional athletes and provide a visible pathway for our next generation of Olympians to get inspired. This is sure to be an evening's entertainment that you won't forget. Tickets are on sale now at www.internationaltrackmeet.co.nz

The Mile

3:49.08 - John Walker – National Record
3:50.6 - John Walker – All Comers Record
3:50.6 - John Walker – Resident Record
3:49.38 – Andrew Baddeley - Personal Best
3:50.66 – Nick Willis - Personal Best

Further Information contact Leyton Tremain 021 719 900.

8th Feb 09

Willis tastes success in Boston Indoor Games

http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/2466388

PhotosportNew Zealand's Nick Willis
New Zealand runner Nick Willis won the mile at the Boston Indoor Games indoor athletics meeting on Sunday, clocking the fastest time of the year for the United States season.
In a loaded field that included his former Michigan University teammate Alan Webb, and a number of sub-four minute runners, the Beijing Olympics 1500m bronze medallist clocked three minutes, 53.54 seconds.
Once pacesetter Adam Perkins dropped out, Pablo Solares of Mexico took over the lead with Willis and Chris Lukezic in second and third.
At the gun, the race was on, with Willis taking the lead on the backstretch and holding off Solares and Lukezic.
A week ago, Willis finished second to seven-time winner Bernard Lagat in the prestigious Wanamaker Mile at the Millrose Games indoor athletic meet.
Lagat clocked 3min 58.44sec to pip Willis whose time was 3min 59.48sec.
Willis' fastest mile time is 3min 50.66sec which he set while finishing second at last year's Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon, during his buildup to the Olympics.


30th Jan 09

Nick Willis interview after finishing 2nd to Bernard Lagat in his first race of the season at the Millrose Games in New York where Willis ran 3:59.48 for the Mile on an indoor 145m track. Willis had beaten Lagat in the last three match ups.

http://www.flotrack.org/videos/coverage/view_video/234562-2009-millrose-games/134270-nick-willis-09-millrose

From: The Times

January 10, 2009

Andy Baddeley steps up pursuit of medals

Rick Broadbent, Athletics Correspondent

If there was one sight guaranteed to pain Andy Baddeley as his Olympic dream soured last summer, it was not the bloody leg but the image of Nick Willis running into what the New Zealand media termed “sporting immortality”. The fresh-faced Kiwi had taken an unlikely bronze medal in the 1,500 metres final and gushed about how he would pay off the mortgage. Baddeley, by contrast, went to the airport, where he expected a dressing-down from Lord Coe.

Having beaten Willis at the World Championships the previous year, Baddeley knew that a place on the Olympic podium was tantalisingly close. He made a bid for home but his legs tied up. He had been spiked and had missed three weeks of training before the Games, but he did not proffer that as an excuse. For him, ninth was nowhere.

Hence, when he found himself standing next to Coe, part of Britain's middle-distance holy trinity from the 1980s along with Steve Ovett and Steve Cram, at Beijing airport, he feared the worst. “I was a bit worried because I thought he would be critical,” he said. “Some people were saying I must be happy to have made the final, but I don't train to make finals. But Seb actually put a few things in perspective. He asked how much I was training and thought I was doing it right. He pointed out the very high quality of the 1,500 metres now. He was very positive.”

Baddeley, who has a cardiac monitoring device in his chest because of an irregular heartbeat, returns to action today in defence of his four kilometres title at the Bupa Great Edinburgh International Cross Country meeting. Also competing are Steph Twell, the rising British star, and Eliud Kipchoge, the Olympic silver medal-winner from Kenya . Baddeley will then race indoors in the United States before heading Down Under, where he will take on Willis in an invitational mile in Christchurch . Having won the Dream Mile in Oslo last year, becoming the first Briton to do so since Peter Elliott in 1991, and recording the third-fastest time of the past three years, Baddeley should expect to have the beating of the Kiwi. But, then, he did in Beijing , too. “It's a motivator and a frustration,” he said of Willis's Olympic bronze. “It could have been me. I suppose the more people who can get up there, the better it is for the non-Africans, but I've never been daunted by running against the top Africans.

“The first time I put my GB kit on for the Olympics was to get on the plane and I could barely walk because of my Achilles. The main aim was to get through the flight and have some physio. I didn't mention it at the time because I did not want to make an excuse and a lot of people were in the same situation, but the more I reflected, the more I thought that what was missing was those three key weeks.”

Baddeley's progress last year was impressive. Even with a disrupted build-up he said that he ran his best race in a loaded Olympic semi-final. The time did not show it, some three seconds adrift of his best of 3min 34.36sec, but the tactics did. Willis was only fifth, the last of the qualifiers, while Bernard Lagat, the world champion from the United States , crashed out.

Times can be deceiving when it comes to the championships, though. Willis was only the twentieth-fastest man in the world last year and Baddeley said: “The Dream Mile is the only quick-paced race I've had in the last few years and it's just unfortunate it was not a 1,500 metres.”

Married in October, he said that he has delayed plans to remove the ECG (electrocardiogram) device in his chest until after the World Championships in Berlin in August - the batteries died long ago. Baddeley, though, insists that there is plenty of life left in him. “I'm 26 now and know what I'm capable of,” he said. “Medals are the aim from now on.”


23 rd December 2008

For Immediate Release

Willis accepts challenge from Worlds Fastest Miler

Christchurch will host an International Track and Field meeting on Friday the 13 th of March 2009. New Zealand athletes Valerie Villi and Nick Willis made history at the Beijing Olympics claiming Gold and Bronze medals in the jewel of the games the Track and Field. This made Beijing the most successful Olympic campaign by kiwi athletes at the track since John Walker and Dick Quax medalled at the 1976 Montreal Olympics.

This Black Friday event is shaping up to provide a rare opportunity to watch some of the best athletes in the world do battle during two hours of the best athletics you are likely to see live in New Zealand. The feature race, the men's international invitational Mile has the potential to be the fastest Mile ever run on New Zealand soil. To achieve this huge feat, the foot soldiers will have to better John Walker's New Zealand Resident and All Comers National record (3 minutes 50.6 seconds) set in Auckland back in 1981. In addition to the prize money on offer, a bonus will be paid for breaking John Walker's record. The “Black Singlet” will be represented by our own Nick Willis, our second fastest all time Kiwi miler. Willis has successfully continued the long tradition of Kiwi Milers taking on the world that was started with Jack Lovelock and cemented by greats Peter Snell and John Walker.

Despite Willis's impressive resume he won't have the race all his own way as he takes on the challenge from the world's fastest miler this year Andrew Baddeley. Meet organisers are also confident of having several other nations represented to make this field truly international with elite athletes likely from Canada , Australia , Ireland and Great Britain .

Athletics Canterbury have secured the services of Andrew Baddeley ( United Kingdom ) who will return to New Zealand for the second time in March 2009. In 2007 Baddeley won the Mayoral Mile Race in Wanganui when he defeated Gareth Hyett, New Zealand 's 13 th fastest all time miler. Baddeley ran the world's fastest time for the Mile in 2008 when he won the Dream Mile (3:49.38, Oslo Golden League, Bislett Stadium). Baddeley finished 9 th in the Beijing Olympics 1500m and placed 9 th at the 2007 World Track and Field Championships in front of Willis who finished 10 th .

Willis claimed John Walkers 30 year old national 1500m record (3:32.4 set in Oslo in 1975) when he ran 3:32.38 in 2005 before lowering it to the current National Record of 3:32.17 (set 8th of July 2006), 24 years and 1 day after John Walker set the current New Zealand mile record of 3:49.08 (9 th July 1982, Oslo). Willis and his wife Sierra are based in Michigan and will be providing the New Zealand public with a rare opportunity to watch him race against world class opposition alongside New Zealand 's best milers.

This international track meeting at QEII Stadium will also feature Aranui High Schools acclaimed Jazz Band along with showcasing New Zealand 's best athletes through the full spectrum from top Colgate Games relay teams, Secondary schools mile relay challenge and our top Paralympics athletes building towards the 2010 IPC World Championships. This is sure to be an evening's entertainment that you won't forget. Tickets go on sale in January 2009.

The Mile

3:49.08 - John Walker – NZ National Record
3:50.6 - John Walker – NZ All Comers Record
3:50.6 - John Walker – NZ Resident Record
3:49.38 – Andrew Baddeley - Personal Best
3:50.66 – Nick Willis - Personal Best

For further information contact : Leyton Tremain 021 719 900