Athletics New Zealand - News - 50 years on from a Historic Moment at Wanganui
Leading New Zealander Nick Willis, holder of the New Zealand 1500 metres record and silver medallist in the 1500m at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, sees it as being pretty cool to be able to celebrate Snell's achievement 50 years ago.
Leading New Zealander Nick Willis, holder of the New Zealand 1500 metres record and silver medallist in the 1500m at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, sees it as being pretty cool to be able to celebrate Snell's achievement 50 years ago. Willis, who has a best mile of 3m 50.66s set in Oregon in 2008, will be racing against his training companions, Americans Brandon Bethke and Will Leer and Brit Lee Emanuel, who turned 27 on Tuesday. Emanuel has a best mile of 3m 57.62s set indoors a year ago, Leer's best is 3m 56.63s in June 2009 and Bethke 3m 57.34s in Dublin last July. ©Victah Sailer
It will be a golden moment on Friday evening as Wanganui celebrates triple Olympic gold medallist Peter Snell's historic world mile record at Cooks Gardens in 1962.
The annual Cooks Classic meeting has brought together a top class international field for the anniversary mile at the iconic athletics venue. The meeting is the fourth round of the asics Athletics NZ Grand Prix series.
Leading New Zealander Nick Willis, holder of the New Zealand 1500 metres record and silver medallist in the 1500m at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, sees it as being pretty cool to be able to celebrate Snell's achievement 50 years ago. Willis, who has a best mile of 3m 50.66s set in Oregon in 2008, will be racing against his training companions, Americans Brandon Bethke and Will Leer and Brit Lee Emanuel, who turned 27 on Tuesday. Emanuel has a best mile of 3m 57.62s set indoors a year ago, Leer's best is 3m 56.63s in June 2009 and Bethke 3m 57.34s in Dublin last July.
Also in the field is Hamish Carson of Wellington, Matt Harris of Christchurch, David Lovelock, Malcolm Hicks and Wanganui hometown 800m star Brad Mathas. This field is sure to break the drought of sub-four minute miles at Cooks Gardens. Carson is yet to crack the magical barrier and with the right pace from the start he could become the thirty fifth New Zealander to claim this achievement.
The last sub-four minute miles at the Gardens were in 2008 when Adrian Blincoe, Dave Campbell of Ireland and Aunese Curreen of Samoa went under the time. The greatest number to go under four minutes in the same race was in 1985 when Ray Flynn, John Walker, Pat Scammell, Tony Rogers, Brian Theriot, Kerry Rodger and Peter Renner with times of 3m 54.9s to 3m 59.7s saw seven athletes join the Wanganui records.
Camille Buscomb will follow up her victory over 1500m in Wellington on Monday with a start in the women's mile. John Schreuder and Ben Moynahan should go head to head in the junior mile.
Elizabeth Lamb is down for the high jump, Billy Crayford has also entered the high jump. James Hutchens will be all out to improve on his long jump distance this season and Ben Langton Burnell will likewise be looking for a big throw in the javelin.
The Cooks Classic meeting starts at 7.15pm on Friday, and the mile will be the final event of the evening at 8.50pm.
Link to Herald on Sunday article here
Murray McKinnon
Communications Advisor
Athletics New Zealand
0274 806086
murray@mckinnon.co.nz
Athletics New Zealand - News
