D'Arcy Waldegrave: A golden age of athletics may be blossoming

Hamish Kerr and Geordie Beamish gave sports fans a reason to grin from ear-to-ear this week – two great New Zealanders making their mark on the global stage.

In the 3000m steeplechase Geordie shook up the athletics world by mowing down double Olympic winner Soufiane El Bakkali, who was chasing his third consecutive global title.

Hamish ladled cherries on his high jump cake, adding the World title to his Olympic title, the Diamond League title, Commonwealth title, and the World Indoor title.

With the likes of Walsh, Tanner, Hobbs, Wesche, McTaggart, etc, up with the best in athletics world, a golden age may well be blossoming.

John Stewart, former CEO of Athletics NZ told me over 20 years ago that the biggest issue the sport had wasn't lack of talent, it was lack of athletes. He said that they taught the kids how to run, jump and throw, but as they matured, they left for other sports that benefitted enormously from the base that athletics had given them.

Olympic and World Championship success is the harbinger of continued participation in track and field. The thought of Kiwi athletes dominating the world stage was a pipe dream, aside the middle-distance glory days and the outrageous success of Val Adams, victory was a rare occurrence. These unicorns hardly stimulated the youth.

Now though, the narrative isn’t how competing as a junior will set the youth up for careers in other sports, it’s about setting up the next generation for triumph at Olympic and World Championship level.

Athletes like Kerr and Beamish have proven that we can compete with, and beat, the very best in truly global pursuits.

Running, jumping and throwing doesn’t cost a heap, and there’s not a concussion in sight.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the All Sport Breakfast podcast with Darcy
Waldgrave from News Talk ZEDB.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Good News this week, Great stories, Amus, Kurt Jordy Beamish,
gay sports fans are reason to grinn from air to
air to great New Zealanders making their mark on the
global stage, and it is global world athletics. In the
three thousand minutes steple Chase Jordi shook up the athletics
world by mowing down the double Olympic winner Safiniel McCarley,

(00:33):
who was chasing his third consecutive global title. Hamish ladled
Cherries on his high jump cake adding the world title
to his Olympic title, the Diamond League title, the common
Wealth title, of the world indoor title. With the likes
of Demon and Walsh and Tanner and Hobbs and Wishy
and McTaggart and the list goes on, they're right up

(00:57):
there with the best in the athletics world. A golden
age may well be blossoming. John Stewart, former CE of
Athletics New Zealand, told me i'd over twenty years ago
now that the biggest issue the sport had wasn't lack
of talent, it was lack of athletes. He said that
they taught the kids how to run and jump and throw,

(01:18):
but as they matured, they left for other sports that
benefit enormously from the base that athletics had given them.
Olympic and World championship success is the harbinger of continued
participation in track and field. The thought of kiwi athletes
dominating the world stage was basically a pipe dreamer. Aside

(01:40):
the middle distance glory days of the seventies and the
outrageous success of Val Adams, victory was a rare occurrence.
These unicorns hardly stimulated the youth Now though, the narrative
isn't how competing as a junior will set youth up
for careers in other sports. It's about setting up the
next generation for triumph at Olympic and World Championship level.

(02:04):
Athletes like Kerr and Bean have proven that we can
compete with and beat the very best in truly global pursuits. Running, jumping,
and throwing doesn't cost a heap either, and there's not
a concussion in sight. Roll on athletics and that'll do.

Speaker 1 (02:24):
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listen live to news talks that'd be on Saturday mornings,
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