February 7, 2025 • 4 mins
Medal events for the 2026 Commonwealth Games have been announced - and there's a surprising change to a popular race.
The 1,500 metre race will be replaced by a returning event - the Commonwealth Mile.
The Mile was last run in 1966, where New Zealand had two athletes compete.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Metal events for the twenty twenty six come Wealth Games
have been announced and there's a surprising change to a
popular race. The fifteen hundred meter race will be replaced
by a returning event, the Commonwealth Mile. The mile was
last run in nineteen sixty six, where we had two
keeps compete. Athletics New Zealand CEO Cam Mitchell is worth me.
(00:21):
Now how are you doing?
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Cam good Francisco?
Speaker 1 (00:24):
Is the mile a gimmick or are you keen for
it to replace the fifteen hundred meters going forward?
Speaker 2 (00:30):
I look in terms of this game, it's a nice
little variation, isn't it. The miles still quite popular and
run quite a lot around different events. We just had
our Mile Championship the other weekend at the Cook's Garden
in Wanganui. Obviously New Zealand has an amazing heritage and
history with the mile with Snell and Walker. We've got
some great milers with Samtano, Myra Amston, Jody Beemish, Kimberly May.
(00:51):
So it's a nice little change up, I guess. But
whether that's something that would Athletics adopts, I would doubt it.
But certainly the miles are very popular event and remains
a focus on a number of different athletics events around
the globe.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
What difference can that extra one hundred and nine meters
make for the athletes? Doesn't make any difference.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
Look, most athletes will prepare almost identically to a fifteen
hundred meters and a mile, so there's not a lot
of difference. And I guess the critical difference is.
Speaker 3 (01:19):
At the start.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
So you know, the mile starts a little bit behind
the traditional four hundred meters start light way one hundred
meters start line, and there's a merge on the bend
rather than merge on the straight, which is where the
fifteen hundred meters starts, So there can be a slightly
high risk of tripping. But you know, in terms of
application and the preparation for the athletes, they're pretty much identical.
(01:40):
It doesn't make too much difference.
Speaker 3 (01:41):
And a lot of the best milers are also the
best fifteen.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
Hundred meters, and as I said, we've got a few
of those at the moment, which is great.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
Who actually holds down his ylland record for a mile?
Speaker 3 (01:52):
It's a good question.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
I'm not quite sure.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
Is sorry, I'm trying that. I'm trying that at he.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
Probably walker so walk around the first sub three fifty
and obviously Snell ran the first four minute mile on
grass in Wanganui in the sixties. So as I said,
we've got a great a great history. I mean, Sam
Tana is running very quick at the moment. He did
a three fifty five and Wanganu a couple of weeks ago,
and you may have seen the news with world sensation
(02:18):
Sam Ruth, who's a fifteen year old who's very close
running under four minutes and is the fastest fifteen year
old in the world over that distance, so you know
he's one to watch as well. We've got a lot
of great athletes and my Ramsden obviously at the Olympics,
she's a young up and coming athlete, and Joey Beamish
won the fifteen hundred meters at the World Indoors, so
you know there's lots of good talent there in that
(02:39):
particular sort of distance.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
So we definitely you know, there's the potential that we're
going to have Kwi's lining up to do the milet
in Glasgow. There's another new event, a mixed four by
four hundred meter relay. How likely are we to see
Qui athletes competing in that race.
Speaker 2 (02:53):
Look, we've had individual four way fours in the past,
so the potential is definitely there. We've got a really
great four hundred meter runner at the moment, les Revel
Lewis and Tommy Tiperni, and they're actually going head to
head for the New Zealand four hundred meter record at
a free event we have on Sunday four to six
pm at Trust Arena called the Sirgram Douglas Internationals. So
you know, there's a number of.
Speaker 3 (03:13):
Good four hundred meters, but I guess selection really depends
on the quota available to athletics and also to New
Zealand at the game, So it would sit depending on
where I guess.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
How higher ranked athletes are based and as I say,
the selection process that sit around that.
Speaker 1 (03:30):
And of course we've seen the come Worth Games. They've
not done, you know, twenty sports down to ten. Obviously
athletics and power athletics is in there. Are you happy
with the mix they've got?
Speaker 2 (03:42):
Yeah, Look, I mean it's obviously there's a reduction and
metal opportunities for New Zealand, but it hasn't really impacted
athletics in many ways. We've actually gained because there's an
increase in power events and as you know, we're very
strong in the power space and has sort of done
a great job in that area. The only real impact
for US is a lost out of STATEIA events, so
there's no marathon and some of the long walks are
(04:03):
no longer part of the Games, which is a shame
for those athletes, but we still get the full complement
of in STATEIA events and you know, arguably that's where
a lot of our strongest athletes are based. So you
know the pol Wolds, James Kerr and Grimaldi, you know
Tom Jacko and many others.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
Kay Mitchell, thank you so much for your time. Really
nice to talk to you. Enjoy your weekend. That was
Athletics New Zealand CEO Cam Mitchell. For more from Heather
Duplessy Allen Drive, listen live to news Talks. It'd be
from four pm weekdays, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
Metal events for the twenty twenty six come Wealth Games
have been announced and there's a surprising change to a
popular race. The fifteen hundred meter race will be replaced
by a returning event, the Commonwealth Mile. The mile was
last run in nineteen sixty six, where we had two
keeps compete. Athletics New Zealand CEO Cam Mitchell is worth me.
(00:21):
Now how are you doing?
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Cam good Francisco?
Speaker 1 (00:24):
Is the mile a gimmick or are you keen for
it to replace the fifteen hundred meters going forward?
Speaker 2 (00:30):
I look in terms of this game, it's a nice
little variation, isn't it. The miles still quite popular and
run quite a lot around different events. We just had
our Mile Championship the other weekend at the Cook's Garden
in Wanganui. Obviously New Zealand has an amazing heritage and
history with the mile with Snell and Walker. We've got
some great milers with Samtano, Myra Amston, Jody Beemish, Kimberly May.
(00:51):
So it's a nice little change up, I guess. But
whether that's something that would Athletics adopts, I would doubt it.
But certainly the miles are very popular event and remains
a focus on a number of different athletics events around
the globe.
Speaker 1 (01:04):
What difference can that extra one hundred and nine meters
make for the athletes? Doesn't make any difference.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
Look, most athletes will prepare almost identically to a fifteen
hundred meters and a mile, so there's not a lot
of difference. And I guess the critical difference is.
Speaker 3 (01:19):
At the start.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
So you know, the mile starts a little bit behind
the traditional four hundred meters start light way one hundred
meters start line, and there's a merge on the bend
rather than merge on the straight, which is where the
fifteen hundred meters starts, So there can be a slightly
high risk of tripping. But you know, in terms of
application and the preparation for the athletes, they're pretty much identical.
(01:40):
It doesn't make too much difference.
Speaker 3 (01:41):
And a lot of the best milers are also the
best fifteen.
Speaker 2 (01:44):
Hundred meters, and as I said, we've got a few
of those at the moment, which is great.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
Who actually holds down his ylland record for a mile?
Speaker 3 (01:52):
It's a good question.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
I'm not quite sure.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
Is sorry, I'm trying that. I'm trying that at he.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
Probably walker so walk around the first sub three fifty
and obviously Snell ran the first four minute mile on
grass in Wanganui in the sixties. So as I said,
we've got a great a great history. I mean, Sam
Tana is running very quick at the moment. He did
a three fifty five and Wanganu a couple of weeks ago,
and you may have seen the news with world sensation
(02:18):
Sam Ruth, who's a fifteen year old who's very close
running under four minutes and is the fastest fifteen year
old in the world over that distance, so you know
he's one to watch as well. We've got a lot
of great athletes and my Ramsden obviously at the Olympics,
she's a young up and coming athlete, and Joey Beamish
won the fifteen hundred meters at the World Indoors, so
you know there's lots of good talent there in that
(02:39):
particular sort of distance.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
So we definitely you know, there's the potential that we're
going to have Kwi's lining up to do the milet
in Glasgow. There's another new event, a mixed four by
four hundred meter relay. How likely are we to see
Qui athletes competing in that race.
Speaker 2 (02:53):
Look, we've had individual four way fours in the past,
so the potential is definitely there. We've got a really
great four hundred meter runner at the moment, les Revel
Lewis and Tommy Tiperni, and they're actually going head to
head for the New Zealand four hundred meter record at
a free event we have on Sunday four to six
pm at Trust Arena called the Sirgram Douglas Internationals. So
you know, there's a number of.
Speaker 3 (03:13):
Good four hundred meters, but I guess selection really depends
on the quota available to athletics and also to New
Zealand at the game, So it would sit depending on
where I guess.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
How higher ranked athletes are based and as I say,
the selection process that sit around that.
Speaker 1 (03:30):
And of course we've seen the come Worth Games. They've
not done, you know, twenty sports down to ten. Obviously
athletics and power athletics is in there. Are you happy
with the mix they've got?
Speaker 2 (03:42):
Yeah, Look, I mean it's obviously there's a reduction and
metal opportunities for New Zealand, but it hasn't really impacted
athletics in many ways. We've actually gained because there's an
increase in power events and as you know, we're very
strong in the power space and has sort of done
a great job in that area. The only real impact
for US is a lost out of STATEIA events, so
there's no marathon and some of the long walks are
(04:03):
no longer part of the Games, which is a shame
for those athletes, but we still get the full complement
of in STATEIA events and you know, arguably that's where
a lot of our strongest athletes are based. So you
know the pol Wolds, James Kerr and Grimaldi, you know
Tom Jacko and many others.
Speaker 1 (04:21):
Kay Mitchell, thank you so much for your time. Really
nice to talk to you. Enjoy your weekend. That was
Athletics New Zealand CEO Cam Mitchell. For more from Heather
Duplessy Allen Drive, listen live to news Talks. It'd be
from four pm weekdays, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.
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