South Canterbury Amateur Athletics Club

Four South Canterbury athletes performed well at the World Masters Games held at Sydney’s Olympic Park last week. Mandy Shirtcliffe, Richelle Cannell, Ron Munro and Wayne Doyle all performed with distinction in their events, picking up two medals.

 The competition attracted over 1000 athletes from all over the world and included past Olympians and many age-group world record holders.

Mandy Shirtcliffe, competing in the 45-49 age group, won a bronze medal in the javelin and was also placed fifth in the 400-metre final.

Wayne Doyle showed his class against an international field by winning a silver medal in the 45-49 pole vault with a height of 3.1 metres.

Doyle also had four top six finishes after being placed fourth in the triple jump, fifth in the discus (35.56m), sixth in shot put (11m) and also sixth in the javelin (44.4m).

Richelle Cannell, competing in the 40-45 year old category, also performed above expectations to make the finals of the 100m and 200m.

Cannell ran personal bests in both finals, recording 13.85s in the 100m final to finish eighth, and stopped the clock in 28.7s in the 200m for sixth place.

It was a great effort, particularly considering the depth of experience in the field and the fact she had just recovered from a hip injury.

She said it was amazing being in a final against the world’s best.

In the 70-74 age group, veteran athlete Ron Munro competed well in the 100 and 200 metres.

Munro finished fourth in both sprints and was happy with his times.

`It’s an incredible feeling knowing that four athletes from a small place like Timaru are amongst the best in the world,” Doyle said.

Two Timaru sprinters are hoping to excel at the seventh World Masters Games in Sydney.

Richelle Cannell and Mandy Shirtcliff go to Sydney next month to tackle the best athletes in their age groups.

Competition will be tough with the pair facing competitors from the Russian Federation, Europe, South Africa and the United States.

Cannell is set to run the 100m- 200m double while Shirtcliff will run in the 200m, 400m and will also compete in the javelin.

Both returned to the track in May in Shirtcliff’s case after several years away from the sport under the watchful eyes of sprint coach Don Garland.

It has not been easy for the pair, with each suffering from niggling injuries, but they are confident they will be at their best in Sydney.

Garland himself was a contender for a start as well but suffered an injury that put his comeback on hold.

Cannell said part of their motivation was the fact the World Games were so close.

“Last time they were in Canada, so Sydney seemed achievable and when we went back training we needed a goal.”

The 40-year-old got back on the track for the first time since secondary school for the South Island Masters and enjoyed the competition and the company.

“It will also be fun running in the Olympic Stadium and supporting each other,” she said. Likewise, Shirtcliff has returned after an impressive career in her youth when she represented Canterbury at national level.

The World Masters Games have been held every four years since they began in Toronto in 1985. It is the world’s largest multisport event, attracting up to 25,000 competitors, twice as many competitors as the Olympics. There will be 28 sports hosted at 70 venues throughout Sydney. Timaru has representatives in other sports including swimming and netball.