OFFICIAL PROGRAMME Saturday 27 February 2021 The Trusts Arena, Auckland CONTENTS Welcome 2 About the Event 3 Key Athlete Profiles 4 Programme 11 Start Lists 12 Results Access Information 16 Tokyo Entry Standards 17 NZ Track and Field Champs 19 Sir Graeme Douglas International 2020 20 Book your private function today! Event Partners 21 ICON restaurant is a private restaurant nestled at Quality Hotel Lincoln Green. A suitable venue for private intimate functions hosting up to 50 people seated and 70 people in a cocktail setting. With a built-in bar, cosy outdoor area and open kitchen, this is the ideal space for your next celebration. Enquire today: [email protected] or call 0800 838 7006 1 WELCOME ABOUT THE EVENT On behalf of Athletics New Zealand, it is my pleasure to welcome you to the The Sir Graeme Douglas International: Bronze Level Meet Douglas Pharmaceuticals Sir Graeme Douglas International, presented by Harcourts Cooper & Co. Now in its seventh year, the Sir Graeme Douglas International has become a highlight of the New Zealand track and field season with international competitors taking on a line-up of world-class Kiwi athletes. We are delighted you are joining us for one of the leading athletics meetings in New Zealand and hope that you enjoy the experience. This year the Sir Graeme Douglas International again features as part of the World Athletics Continental Tour, which is one step below the Diamond League. Special thanks to Douglas Pharmaceuticals and the Douglas family for supporting this meeting in honour of Sir Graeme Douglas. Last year’s event marked the first time a World Athletics meet of this level had been held in New Zealand and gave our athletes the chance to experience an international-level meet on home soil. We are also pleased to welcome Harcourts Cooper & Co on board this year and wish to extend our gratitude for their support. While international athletes are unfortunately not able to take part in 2021 due to the pandemic, the competition retains its high-level status and holds the distinction of being just the second At Athletics NZ, we are passionate about providing opportunities for athletes to achieve their full Continental Tour meeting to take place anywhere in the world this year. potential, from children just starting out through to the world-class performers you will see today. The Continental Tour is one of the main pathways to qualification for major world events and, in As a World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze level meet, the points on offer at the Sir Graeme 2021, that means the big ones – the rescheduled Olympics and Paralympics. Douglas International are among the highest available in the Oceania region. Nine Kiwi athletes have already met the qualifying standards for Tokyo with 1500m runner Sam Nine Kiwi athletes have already met the qualifying standard for the Olympic Games but many more Tanner recently joining Tom Walsh, Jacko Gill, Dame Valerie Adams (all shot put), Zane Robertson, are still hoping to do so and this evening provides them with an ideal opportunity to take a step Malcolm Hicks (both marathon), Camille Buscomb (5000m/10,000m), Quentin Rew (race walk) and towards Tokyo. Lauren Bruce (hammer). While we unfortunately cannot welcome international athletes this year due to the pandemic, we Walsh, Gill, Adams and Buscomb are all taking part this evening and will be joined by a host of the are lucky in this country to have some world-class stars of our own and many will be in action this country’s other top athletes across a wide range of disciplines. evening. Proudly supported by Douglas Pharmaceuticals and Harcourts Cooper & Co, the event is named in That list is headed by the likes of Olympic and world champion Dame Valerie Adams and fellow honour of Sir Graeme Douglas. world champion and Olympic medallist Tom Walsh but there is no shortage of talent elsewhere in a very strong field. Douglas Pharmaceuticals was founded in 1967 by Sir Graeme, a West Auckland chemist who dispensed prescription medicines. In 1980, he turned his hand to manufacturing and, by the 1990s, The Douglas Track and Field at Trusts Arena is one of New Zealand’s finest athletics venues and we he was successfully researching and developing his own products for the domestic and international are looking forward to a memorable evening. markets. Welcome once again and we hope you enjoy watching our top athletes in action. Thanks for your Today, Douglas is New Zealand’s largest family-owned healthcare company, employing over 700 support and we hope to see you again next year. people and exporting to 40 countries around the world. Peter Pfitzinger Sir Graeme was knighted in 2010 for services to philanthropy and athletics. He passed away in 2016 Chief Executive Officer at the age of 87 and Athletics NZ is proud to host an event of this standing in his honour. Athletics NZ 2 3 KEY ATHLETE PROFILES DAME VALERIE ADAMS CAMILLE BUSCOMB 36, Shot Put 30, Distance Pakuranga Athletics Club/Auckland Hamilton City Hawks/Waikato-Bay of Plenty PB: 21.24m 1500m PB: 4:13.47 • A four-time world champion, four-time indoor • Has already met the qualifying standard world champion, two-time Olympic gold for the Tokyo Olympics in the 5000m and medallist and three-time Commonwealth 10,000m distances Games gold medallist • A versatile runner, she has run mainly in the • Named as World Athlete of the Year in 2014, 800m and 1500m this summer she was just the third woman to ever win world • In good form after earning three titles at junior, youth and senior level in any wins in a row – the New Zealand Mile event Championships, International Track Meet • Chosen as New Zealand Sportswoman of the 800m and Porritt Classic 1500m Year seven times in a row from 2006, she holds • Recently got engaged to a fellow athlete the Commonwealth, Oceania and national who is also competing this evening, 400m records, as well as the World Championships hurdles national record holder Cameron and World Indoor Championships records French • A sibling of basketball star Steven Adams and Para athlete Lisa Adams, and proud mum to daughter Kimoana, three, and son Kepaleli, one TOM WALSH HOLLY ROBINSON 28, Shot Put 26, Javelin (F46) South Canterbury Athletic Club/Canterbury Athletics Taieri/Otago PB: 22.90m PB: 45.73m • The greatest male shot putter New Zealand • A familiar face to many sports fans after has produced, his massive PB is one of the acting as New Zealand’s flagbearer at the world’s top throws of all time Rio Paralympics in 2016 • Won bronze at the Rio Olympic Games in • Won silver at both the Rio Paralympics and 2016 with 21.36m and claimed the World the Commonwealth Games two years later Championships title the following year with • Has also won two silvers and a bronze at the 22.03m World Championships • Has also won two World Indoor • Born in Hokitika, she has a twin brother and Championships titles and two medals at the her father represented the West Coast in Commonwealth Games – gold in 2018 and rugby silver in 2014 • Is the reigning national record holder but is currently facing a challenge to his supremacy from the on-form Jacko Gill 4 5 KEY ATHLETE PROFILES ZOE HOBBS HAMISH KERR 23, Sprint 24, High Jump North Harbour Bays Athletics/Auckland Christchurch Old Boys United/Canterbury 100m PB: 11.35s, 200m PB: 23.19s PB: 2.30m • Has reset the 100m resident record three • Joint holder of the national record with times in the last two years, including a Glenn Howard scorching 11.35s • With a best this season of 2.27m, he is • The long-standing national record of aiming for the Olympic qualifying mark of 11.32s, set by Michelle Seymour in 1993, is 2.33m in her sights • Moved south from Auckland to come under • Has represented her country at the the guidance of Terry Lomax and is now World Youths, World Juniors, World regularly jumping in the mid-to-high 2.20s University Games and the senior World • Attended the 2019 World Championships Championships in both the 100m and 200m and 2017 World University Games, missing • Originally from Taranaki, now based in out on qualifying for the final at the latter by Auckland under coach James Mortimer the narrowest of margins EDDIE OSEI-NKETIA BEN TUIMASEVE 19, Sprint 31, Shot Put (F37) North Harbour Bays Athletics/Auckland Papakura Athletics/Auckland 100m PB: 10.19s, 200m PB: 20.76s PB: 12.65m • Son of 100m national record holder Gus • Made his international debut at the Oceania Nketia (10.11s) Championships in Australia two years ago • Still only a teen, he is one of the world’s • Has also represented New Zealand at most exciting young sprint talents physical disability rugby league, taking part • Holds many national junior sprint records, in an international tournament against an including the U-20 200m at 20.76s Australian team in 2017 • Has been engaged in an enthralling battle • On a hot streak after improving on with rival and friend Tiaan Whelpton this his national record twice in the same summer competition at the recent Porritt Classic • Nicknamed Benza by a cousin, he performed under that alias as a casual singer and rapper and the name stuck 6 7 KEY ATHLETE PROFILES JACKO GILL TORI PEETERS 26, Shot Put 26, Javelin Takapuna Athletic and Harrier Club/Auckland Hamilton City Hawks/Waikato-Bay of Plenty PB: 21.52m PB: 62.04 • A teen prodigy, he usurped Usain Bolt as the • Originally from Gore, she moved to youngest ever world junior champion at just Dunedin to study and is now based in 15 Cambridge under the expert tutelage of • After suffering a string of injury and health- Debbie