NZ cross country champs, Olympics and Weekly Roundup

LONDON
Olympic Games – 3-12 August 2012
Kimberley Smith was disappointed with her 15^th place in the marathon around a tight and difficult course in 2h 26m 59s.
“I just didn’t feel great today, the course I found really, really difficult. I was slipping, the cobblestones were really hard to run on, the turns were really hard. I’ve just never run a course like that before. I found it really tough going – the rain did not help at all, really hard on the calves which I already have problems with anyway.
“There was a little cramping going on it was a rough day.”
Smith said that she was hoping for a top six placing.
“That course really didn’t suit me – 15^th was really not what I wanted at all.”
“It’s pretty tough,” she said emotionally.
“I mean I just felt terrible – I really struggled in those back parts with the turns. From the start I kept losing ground – even a few metres on those turns, it was just not good on this at all,” she said.
The only good part to the race was the crowd support.
“It was amazing it was unlike any other marathon I’ve ever done, that’s for sure. The screaming was just ringing in your ears the whole way – it was pretty cool. There was a lot of New Zealand support out there.”
Asked if she would have done anything different going into the race Smith said that she may have practiced the turns a little bit more.
“I mean I don’t know, sometimes preparation goes really well and you run poorly – but that’s the marathon, it is really unpredictable, it’s really tough and you just never know how it’s going to go.
“There’s always another marathon around the corner, I guess I can’t do anything about it now,” she said.
The 30 year old will compete in the New York marathon in November and prior to that a half marathon in the Boston series in October, and in three weeks time she is getting married in Maine to Patrick Tarpy.
“So I’ll just have to go back and plan for that now.”
Her placing fluctuated throughout the race from 15^th at the 5km in 17m 21s to 12^th at the half way in 1h 13m 14s to 17^th at the 35km mark and then picking up two placings over the final 2km.
Tiki Gelana of Ethiopia won in a tight finish with Priscah Jeptoo of Kenya in 2h 23m 7s, five seconds ahead with Tatyana Arkhipova of Russia third in 2h 23m 29s.
Smith’s New Zealand record is 2h 25m 21s raced on a different London course in April 2010.

Nick Willis is safely through to the final of the 1500m after finishing third in the fastest semi-final. Willis recorded 3m 34.70s won by Abdalaati Iguider of Morocco in 3m 33.99s. Willis wasted no time brushing through the mixed zone to get to a warm down.
“It’s never easy running 3m 34s in the semi-finals, it hardens problems a little bit with my confidence, I’m not quite up for it,” he said while jumping up and down on the spot.
“But I’m through safely, very happy and now I’ve got to get all this lactic acid out of my legs, thanks very much,” he added before dashing away.

After the heats of the 1500m Willis had more time for the journalists through the mixed zone.
“I was able to watch the heats before me performing and both Kiprop and the Qatar guy down the back straight on the last lap looked easy but they couldn’t get out, so I thought I’ve got to make sure I’m out by 600 metres to go and if the opportunity presents itself to be the one to box my fellow Kenyan competitor in and we fought to the bell line and then all the other guys followed me and he (the Kenyan) got caught in the box down the back straight, he tried to get out and stumbled.
An hour before I came to the track I heard that Amine Laalou a 3m 29s runner from Morocco had tested positive so with the guy from Djibouti not entered there’s two sub 3m 31s guys not in the picture now.
Everything seems to be lining up I’ve just got to keep ticking the boxes and try to race every race as it comes.
The idea is to use the first rounds to re-awaken your legs so that final little snap is not quite there, so we’ll see how it goes in the next two races.
It seemed to work fairly well, hopefully I feel a little snappier in the semi-finals, but I can’t complain feeling a little dull and still be winning.”

Sarah Cowley was 26^th in the heptathlon scoring 5873 points.
Cowley said that the atmosphere in the stadium was amazing.
“The atmosphere was amazing I never imagined a morning session would have 80,000 screaming people, particularly with my event having the Brits doing the heptathlon,” she said.
“The high jump was really slippery after the rain, but it affected all of the girls. The shot was okay but technically not as well as I would have liked but I was pleased in the last round to get a few more centimetres out there. The 200m I gave it my all, did my best and left it all out on the track. The first day was okay, you always want more as an athlete but it was a solid day.”
Cowley had a PB in the javelin on the second day with a throw of 41.90m.

HAMILTON
New Zealand and Oceania Cross Country Championships, Minogue Park Te Rapa – 4 August 2012
Kenyan Edwin Kaitany found the muddy underfoot conditions difficult as he sped to victory in the New Zealand cross country championships at Minogue Park Te Rapa on Saturday.
The 21 year old recorded 38m 54s for the 12km, beating Australian James Nipperess by 11 seconds. Sam Wreford of Timaru was third and being the first New Zealander collected his first senior national title. Alex Parlane was fourth ahead of fellow Auckland team mate John Schreuder.
Celia Sullohern of Australia won the women’s 8km in 29m 33s, ahead of leading triathlete Mikayla Nielsen of Waikato who followed up her junior title last year with the national senior crown. Matt Baxter of Taranaki won the M19 title while Kara MacDermid of Palmerston North enjoyed success in the W19 division. Gabrielle O’Rourke of Wellington was the best of the master women with Michael Pugh of Waikato heading in the master men.
Men.-