An analysis of athletes’ performances at the World U20 (formerly Junior) Athletics Championships 1986 – 2018 and their subsequent performances at Championships, and .

by

Stephen Hollings PhD

INTRODUCTION

This document is an update of the document that was used to write the article Progression of Elite New Zealand and Australian Junior Athletes to Senior Representation, published in New Studies in Athletics 26: 3 / 4, 127-135.

This summary is based primarily on the transition to the senior representation or otherwise of athletes who were in a New Zealand World Junior Championships team between 1986 and 2018.

To those who have been involved in the sport for a long period of time, it is interesting to observe the names of some of the athletes who, whilst juniors, were promoted as the “future stars”. One may reflect and ask, “Whatever happened to them?”

SUMMARY

A total of 166 (90 Men and 76 Women) New Zealand athletes have competed in individual events at the seventeen editions of the World Junior Athletics Championships that have been held biennially from 1986 to 2018. A further 27 athletes competed solely in a relay event. Of these 166, fifteen athletes have competed at two successive World Junior Championships. They were: Sonia Barry (3000m in 1986 & 10000m in 1988), Anna Shattkey (400m Hurdles in 1988 & 1990), Eddie Crowe (1500m in 1990 & 1992), Shaun Farrell (400m in 1992 & 1994), Mark Keddell (200m in 1992 & 1994), Todd Blythe (100m & 200m in 1992 & 1994), (Javelin in 1998 & 2000), April Brough (200m in 2000 & 2002), Jordan Vandermade (4 x 400m Relay in 2004 & Decathlon in 2006), Angela Smit (800m in 2008 & 2010), (Shot Put in 2010 & 2012), Rebekah Greene (1500m in 2010 & 1500m and 3000m in 2012 ), (Discus Throw in 2010 & 2012), Lucy Sheat (100m in 2016 & 2018), Madison-Lee Wesche (Shot Put in 2016 & 2018).

Eight New Zealand Junior athletes have won nine medals at the World Junior Championships during the 32-year period. Gavin Lovegrove won a Bronze medal in the Javelin in 1986; Joanne Henry won a Bronze medal in the in 1990; Shaun Farrell won a Bronze medal in the 400m in 1994; won a Gold medal in the Shot Put in 2002; Jordan Vandermade won a Bronze medal in the Decathlon in 2006, and Jacko Gill won a Gold medal in the Shot Put in 2010 & in 2012, Eliza McCartney won a Bronze medal in the Pole Vault in 2014, whilst Madison-Lee Wesche won a Gold medal in the Shot Put in 2018. Of the 166 individual athletes who competed at these Championships, 40 (16 men & 24 women) including the eight medallists, made the final of their event. (A Final is determined as having qualified through a previous round /s. A “final” is determined as finishing in the top 8 of a laned running event or finishing in the top 12 in a non-laned running event, a field or multi event.)

Of the eight medallists at the World Junior Championships, five of them have gone on to win either medals at World Championships or Olympic Games or Commonwealth Games or made the final at either a World Championships or an Olympic Games. Gavin Lovegrove won three Commonwealth Games Bronze medals (1986, 1990, 1994), was a finalist at the 1991 World Championships and a finalist at the 1992 Olympic Games. Joanne Henry won a Bronze medal at the 1998 Commonwealth Games and competed at the 1991 (finishing 18th) and 1997 (finishing 15th) World Championships and the 1992 Olympic Games (where she did not finish). Valerie Adams won two Commonwealth Silver medals (2002 & 2018), three Commonwealth Gold medals (2006, 2010 & 2014), a World Championship Silver medal (2005) and four Gold medals (2007, 2009, 2011 & 2013) whilst finishing 5th in 2003 and a World Indoor Bronze medal (2016). She also won two Olympic Games Gold medals (2008 & 2012), an Olympic Silver medal (2016) and finished 8th at the 2004 Olympic Games. Eliza McCartney (Pole vault Bronze medal 2014) finished 5th at the 2016 World Indoor Championships, 4th at the 2018 World Indoor Championships and won a Bronze medal at the 2016 Olympic Games. She also finished 9th at the 2017 World Championships and won a Silver medal at the . Jacko Gill competed at the , finishing in 11th place, made the final at the 2015 & 2017 World Championships, competed at the 2016 World Indoor Championships, and made the final at the 2016 Olympic Games. Of the other three World Junior Championship medallists, Shaun Farrell competed at two Commonwealth Games but did not make the final of his event at either, whilst Jordan Vandermade did not go on to represent New Zealand as a senior athlete, and Madison-Lee Wesche has yet to represent New Zealand at a Senior Championships.

In the 17 editions of the Championships (1986 - 2018), in addition to the eight medallists a further 32 New Zealand athletes made the final of their event. Of those 32, only five athletes who made finals at the World Junior Championships went on to win a medal/s at either a Commonwealth Games, and/or won medals or made the final of their event at World Championships or Olympic Games. Kirsten Smith (Hellier) (11th in Final of the Javelin at the 1988 WJC) won a Silver medal at the . Courtney Ireland (10th in the Shot Put at the 1990 WJC) won a Silver medal at the 1994 Commonwealth Games. (5th in the Shot Put at the 1992 WJC) went on to win two Commonwealth Gold medals (1998 & 2002), a Commonwealth Games Silver medal (1994), and a World Championship Gold medal (1997). (4th in the 1500m at the 2002 WJC) won a Commonwealth Games Gold medal (2006) and Bronze medal (2010), an Olympic Silver medal (2008), Olympic Bronze medal (2016) as well as a Bronze medal at the 2016 World Indoor Championships. (4th in the Hammer Throw at the 2012 WJC), won a Silver medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, and a Gold medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

There have been nine New Zealand athletes who have won either a Commonwealth Games medal or a World Championship or Olympic medal or made the final at a World Championship or Olympic Games who competed at a World Junior Championship and did not make the final of their event. Seven of the eight won Commonwealth Games medals: Tracey Phillips (High Jump at 1986 WJC) won a Bronze medal at the . Tania Dixon (Murray) (High Jump at 1988 WJC) won a Gold medal at the 1990 Commonwealth Games. (10km Walk at the 1994 WJC), won a Silver medal in the 50km Walk at the . (Decathlon at the 2004 WJC) won a Silver medal at the and finished 12th at the 2012 Olympic Games, Stuart Farquhar (Javelin at the 1998 and 2000 WJC) won a Silver medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games and finished 9th at the 2012 Olympic Games and 11th and 9th at the 2011 and 2013 World Championships respectively, Andrea Miller (100m Hurdles at the 2000 WJC) won a Bronze medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games and (Shot Put at 2010 WJC) won a Silver medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, a Gold Medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games and a Gold medal (2016) and Bronze medal (2014) at the World Indoor Championships, placed 4th at the 2015 World Championships, won a Gold medal at the 2017 World Championships and won a Bronze medal at the 2016 Olympic Games. Toni Hodgkinson (800m at 1990 WJC) was 6th in the 800m final at the 1997 World Championships, whilst Julian Oakley (800m & 1500m at the 2012 WJC) was 9th in the 3000m at the World Indoor Championships

On the flipside there have been 18 New Zealand athletes who made a final of their event at a World Junior Championships but did not/have not yet won a medal at a Commonwealth Games or made the final of their event at a World Championships or Olympic Games or represented New Zealand at the Senior level. They were: Andrea Stuart (11th in 1500m in 1986), Tracy Kennedy (10th in 3000m in 1986), Anne Lardner (9th in 1500m in 1988), Eddie Crowe (11th in 1500m in 1990 & 5th in 1500m in 1992), , Adrienne Lynne (8th in the Discus in 1992), Blair Martin (10th in the 10000m in 1994), Dean Wise (8th in the 100m in 1996), Hamish Thorpe (12th in 1500m in 1998), Jessica Penny ( 5th in the Long Jump in 2006), Aaron Pulford (5th in 10000m in 2010), Rebekha Greene (11th in 1500m in 2010, and 7th in 3000m in 2012), Hannah Newbould (8th in 3000m in 2010), Ayla Gill (6th in Hammer Throw in 2010), Merewaihi Vaka (10th in Discus Throw in 2012), Rosa Flanagan (7th in 3000m Steeplechase in 2014), Olivia Burdon (12th in 1500m in 2016), Ryan Ballantyne (8th in Shot Put in 2018), and Katrina Robinson (8th in 1500m in 2018). A further nine New Zealand World Junior Championships finalists who did not/have not yet won a medal at a Commonwealth Games, or made the final of their event at a World Championships or Olympic Games but have represented New Zealand at the senior level are: Sonia Barry (8th in 3000m in 1986 and 5th in 10000m in 1990), Mark Keddell (7th in 200m in 1992 and 4th in 1994), Ian Winchester (10th in Discus Throw in 1992), Shaun Farrell (3rd in 400m in 1994), (7th in 800m in 2000), Elizabeth Lamb (9th in High Jump 2010), Siositina Hakeai (12th in Discus in 2010), (5th in Heptathlon in 2012), and Olivia McTaggart (5th in Pole Vault in 2018).

Of the 193 (individuals plus relay only) New Zealand athletes who competed at the 17 editions of the World Junior Championships, 140 (74%) did not /have not yet subsequently represented New Zealand at the senior level (Olympic Games, World Championships or Commonwealth Games). Interestingly, of the 27 athletes who competed uniquely in a relay event at a WJC, just three, Matthew Coad, Donald McDonald and Matthew Brown went on the represent New Zealand at the senior level.

Just five New Zealand athletes have become a Commonwealth Games medallist or a World Championships and/or Olympic Games finalist who did not compete at a World Junior Championships and were eligible by age to do so. Angela McKee won a Bronze medal at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in the High Jump; Kimberly Smith was 5th and 8th in the 10000m at the 2007 and 2009 World Championships respectively and 9th in the 10000m at the 2008 Olympic Games, whilst qualified for the final of the 5000m at the 2013 World Championships finishing 14th, won a Bronze medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in the 5000m and finished 12th in the 10000m at the 2016 Olympic Games. finished 10th in the 50km Walk at the 2015 World Championships, finished 12th in the 50km Walk at the 2017 World Championships, and finished 12th in the same event at the 2016 Olympic Games, whilst won a Silver medal in the 20km Walk at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

The 2012 New Zealand team in Barcelona was the best performed of all the 17 New Zealand teams that have contested the World Junior Championships. The team finished in 20th place of all competing countries with 24 points on the IAAF Points Table. On four of the 17 occasions of the championships, New Zealand has failed to win any points on the IAAF Points Table – Annecy, 1998; Grosseto, 2004; Bydgoszcz, 2008, and Bydgoszcz, 2016. The 2014 Eugene team was the smallest (3 athletes) New Zealand team to contest the World Junior Championships, whilst the 2010 Moncton team was the largest (24 athletes).