South Canterbury middle-distance runner Brett Clifford has set a record in winning the Rod Dixon Mile in Whangarei.
Clifford beat 10 of the North Island’s best secondary school runners, in setting a personal-best time of 4minutes 35.53seconds, over the 1600-metre distance.
Clifford’s coach Don Garland said he was “pleasantly surprised” by the effort.
“He hasn’t had much [racing] leading-in to it, but he’s been doing some good things at the track [in training].”
The 17-year-old was able to overcome two Ethiopian runners, with a sizzling last 300m effort.
Aucklander’s Tadelo Tekle-Hamonot and Haile Melelot-Tesfaye offered stiff-competition for Clifford, but were not able to foot-it with him, as he powered away to win by 15 metres.
“We did not know quite what to expect going in,” Garland said. “We thought they may try to work as a team, and block him.”
Garland said Clifford was forced “to do the donkey work” in front for the first two laps of the race, before Tekle-Hamonot took the lead and increased the pace, before Clifford’s strength of a good finishing-burst showed through to take the win.
He broke the old record of 4min40.26sec by almost five seconds in the process.
“He’s in pretty good-nick,” Garland said. “He plays soccer during the winter, so that helps.”
Garland said the win should see him gain plenty of confidence, as he heads into the tougher 19-year-old age-group, from the 16-year-old category he competed in last season. Attempts to contact Clifford were unsuccessful.
WINNER: Brent Clifford set a personal-best time of 4minutes 35.53seconds
South Canterbury Amateur Athletics Club member Hayley Davidson finished fourth in the New Zealand women’s 16 title championship 5000 metres, while debuting for Canterbury, in Auckland on Sunday. Davidson recodred a personal best time in the process.
Five South Canterbury Amateur Athletics Club members competed at the first Athletics Canterbury interclub meeting at QEII Stadium on Saturday in Christchurch. Leading the South Canterbury charge was Rebecca Hodgson who set a Canterbury women’s 19 Hammer throw record of 47.29m. Lauren Nicol ws in sharp form winning the women’s 19 60m in 8.15 seconds. The time was faster than the senior race which featured New Zealand representative Rebecca Gibson. Nicol was an impressive second in the senior women’s 145m in 18.71sec. Tyler Collings took out the men’s 19 60m in 7.38sec and finished a narrow third in the senior men’s 145m in 16.39cec, behind World Junior representative Alex Jordan and New Zealand representative Nick Ash. Clifford also won the men’s 19 20oom in a smart 6:06.23. Daniel Laws won the senior men’s 400m hurdles in 1 min 02.74sec.
The South Canterbury Athletics Club held its opening day on Saturday afternoon and welcomed back 40 existing and 20 new members to what will be another busy season for the club. Club Patron, Bruce Leadley opened the 2010-2011 season before the athletes began training.
New members are welcome to join the club on Saturday afternoons at 1.15pm, with the first competition on Saturday 30 October. Canterbury Athletics bring their events to Timaru on Saturday 6 November.
The South Canterbury Amatuer Athletic Club will open the 2010/2011 season on Saturday 9th October at the All Weather Track, Morgans Road – 1.30pm start. ALL WELCOME
