Middle distance runners Camille Buscomb and Sam Tanner have won the New Zealand Mile Championship titles at the Cooks Classic meet in Whanganui.
Sam Tanner. Photo: © Photosport Ltd 2019 / Alisha Lovrich
After a 52-year absence, both national mile crowns were re-introduced with the men's race following the script as the 20-year-old Tanner added the national title over the 'classic distance' to the New Zealand 3000m crown he snared last weekend in Hastings.
Tanner took almost three-and-a-half seconds from his PB to finish with a time of 3:54.97.
"It is such an honour to win the New Zealand mile title, I had been looking forward to it and I'm really proud of how I performed - I can't complain with a 3:54 mile," an elated Tanner said post-race.
"I'm so stoked and blessed to be in the country for what was my last race before I fly back out to the US tomorrow," added Tanner, who will now return to Seattle to attend the University of Washington.
"James Preston took it out to go hard and we really appreciated that. I was hoping he might have taken it to 1200m but he dropped off at 900m. At that point I thought, 'Oh, man, I've got a long way to go'. I then felt it out and slowly picked up the pace. I closed it out in the last 200m. It felt really good."
Buscomb was a similarly decisive winner in the women's mile, using her renowned strength to forge clear of New Zealand 3000m champion Kara Macdermid in the final 200m to clinch her 11th national title.
"It's cool to be the New Zealand mile champion," said Buscomb in the wake of her title.
"We've really tried to change up the season this year, I did an 800m last weekend and next weekend in Christchurch I'll do another 800m," she added.
In the men's shot put, Jacko Gill beat three-time world champion Tom Walsh for the second time since December.
Gill, who recorded a longest ever throw in New Zealand last week with a 21.33m effort in Auckland, once again demonstrated his current form by throwing a stadium record 21.11m in round two.
Walsh, who triumphed last week in Hastings in the absence of Gill, struggled to find his usual rhythm with his best effort of 20.78m also coming in the second round.
Likewise starring in the shot circle was Para world champion Lisa Adams, who came within just 1cm of her F37 world record, set in Hastings last September, with another stellar display.
New Zealand men's 100m and 200m champion Eddie Osei-Nketia bounced back from the disappointment of a shock 100m defeat to Tiaan Whelpton at last weekend's Potts Classic by completing the sprint double.
The 19-year-old won the 100m in a solid 10.54 (+1.4m/s). That was 0.12 clear of his training partner Joseph Millar (Athletics Tauranga) and within 0.06 of the stadium record set by his father Gus.
Later in the 200m, Osei-Nketia used his formidable strength to pull clear of Millar in the final 50m and earn top spot in 21.22 (+2.5m/s).
New Zealand 400m hurdles record-holder Portia Bing served notice of her potential to secure the Olympic qualification standard as she powered to victory in a stadium record of 56.62 in her specialist event.
