September 22, 2025 • 9 mins
New Zealand has completed a best-ever finish at the World Athletics Championships in Japan, ending up fifth-equal on the medal table with two golds and a bronze.
Athletics NZ CEO Cam Mitchell joined Piney to discuss.
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the sports Talk podcast with Dancy Wildergrave
from News Talk zedb Zealand have finished equal fifth on
the medal table at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
Two golds in a bronze, Hamish Kurt with a high
jump gold meti where she took bronze of the women's shotput,
and of course Jordy Beamish with a memorable win in
(00:27):
the three thousand meter steeple chase. Here comes Tony Bevis,
Albert Tardy over that last barrier. Watch the kiwi he finishes,
say rightly her.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
He's coming.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
He's coosing this side, flie side.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
And this time it COEs to t mes.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
Incredible as well as that. Tom Walsh was fourth in
the men's shotput, throwing a season's best twenty one point
ninety four meters. There were three kiwis, Eliza McCartney, Olivia
mctaggett and Imma Generis in the women's pole vault final,
Olivia McTaggart finishing eighth. Zoey Hobbes just missing the final
of the women's one hundred meters but finished with a
ranking of twelfth in the world. Tory Morby was seventh
(01:06):
and women's javelin final, and Connor Bell last night was
tenth in the men's discus finals. So quite the list.
Athletics New Zealand CEO as Cam Mitchell. He's just got
back from Tokyo having watched it all unfold, Cam, these
were our best ever World Champs. How pleased are you
with how things played out in the last week or
so in Tokyo.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
It's hard to be that intro, isn't it amazing? Yeah? No,
it looks at been incredible couple of weeks for us
up in Tokyo, and yeah, it's just been amazing what
the athletes have done. And I guess just shows the
depth that we know that we've sort of talked about,
but we've been able to sort of put them into
surreal performances where it matters at the World Champs. So
very exciting time for us.
Speaker 1 (01:46):
Did you go up there with optimism? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (01:49):
Always, I mean we're always pretty optimistic. I think is
the country, aren't we? But to have that level of
success has just been amazing. So, you know, it's so
competitive global athletics, and we know we've got a whole
lot of good athletes and you sort of think we, look,
can we get one or two, But to have the
level of success nine athletes and finals twelfth in the
world with her time and many other really good performances,
(02:10):
even someone like a less a little bit of that.
His only twenty came sixteenth in the world. So yeah,
lots of really promising results. You know, we're sort of
three years away from la that's really the critical metric
for us with hbsn Z funding. But to see the
tracking at the stage of that of the cycle, is
it really impressive?
Speaker 1 (02:28):
Hamus Kerr. Of course, one Olympic gold last year, Madi
Wishy silver at the Olympics in Paris, So I guess
they were always going to be in the mix. But
did you expect what you saw from Jordy Beamish to happen?
Speaker 2 (02:39):
Oh? Look, Jordie's a massive talent. We obviously saw his
World indoor campaign. Unfortunately had a pretty disruptive Olympics with injury,
and he's actually been injured all the way through. So
he certainly got it in him and we've seen that
and what he's delivered. I think he was really the
headline story for the whole Games. If we're being honest,
with the fact that he sort of got knocked down
and spiked to the face, got up and sort of
(03:01):
showed that resilience to get himself to the final then
to win the way he did. So he was very
much the talk of OK for sure, but the talented
athlete and just delighted he's been able to deliver a
second World Championship title for him. So hopefully if he
can stay fit, you know, he has a real chance
in LA for sure.
Speaker 1 (03:17):
There's nothing quite like that black singlet coming down the
home straight, is there. Look, I know we've had great
success in the in the field events as well, but
watching that black singlet in the middle distance races coming
down the home straight, there's something just a bit special
about it, isn't there.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
Yeah. Well, it's a great history, is and I think
people still remember the golden era that New Zealand ATHLETs
have had and I think look the Black Singler Association
with the All Blacks in Japan, we had a lot
of support, you know, out in Japan for our for
our athletes, which is awesome to see. It also looks
pretty good sprinting mate when Zoe's running down as well,
So you know, I think as I said, just just
(03:52):
amazing results across the board for everybody that was out there.
Speaker 1 (03:55):
Of course, you administer athletics right across the New Zealand
from grassroots up to elite. How important are results at
elite level to the overall health of the sport of athlete?
Speaker 2 (04:07):
Yeah, look, it's critical a number of ways. I mean,
you know, clearly people still have that connection and aspire
to want to see people that they can believe that
they can become, so that that participation element is quite important.
And then you've got the whole commercial piece. You know,
you and I've chatted about this before, but we've still
got a lot of work to do to raise the
profile of our sport. You know, we want to be
(04:27):
back and seen as a tear one sport. We've got
to really think about how we can do that. So
what's happened in the last couple of weeks because it's
a really good opportunity to continue a lot of the
dialogue that we've been having to make sure that we're
around the table and we're being thought about when companies
are thinking about where they spend the marketing, does you
know we need to get more investment into our sport
and if we can do that, then what we can
(04:48):
achieve is quite significant, because we're already starting to see
that with these results. But if we had a bit
more investment, but more profile than that participation base that
you talk of, will pull throw. Athletics is still a
massive sport in the fundamental skill movement space and in
college you know the lot of people that still participateating
in track and field and cross country, so you know,
(05:10):
there's a lot of good things going on, but that
investment for us is really really critical as well as
raising that profile.
Speaker 1 (05:15):
And you mentioned high performance funding there as well. Cam
how much the results like this help in your discussions
around high performance funding.
Speaker 2 (05:23):
Yeah, look, important marker at two levels. So we've got
certain sort of metrics that we've got to hit along
the lines towards LA. We've got clear targets for LA.
You know, we did very well in Paris and I
guess both in the Paralympics space but also in the
Olympics itself with the middle as you mentioned before, So
that's really positive and we've got to keep those trends
(05:44):
tracking that way so that we keep the investment there.
The other critical thing is for the athletes themselves. So
if you look at Toy for example, you know she's
just in a seventh in the world. She dropped out
of the tap cycle last time jet A results, so
now she's back in the frameworks having those sorts of
positive conversations. So yeah, it's important for us to support
the athletes, but also for the athletes themselves to be
(06:06):
in the mix so that they've actually got some ability
to generate and come to help support their training and
their programs that they undertake to get them to the
start line.
Speaker 1 (06:15):
If we go to grassroots again, Cam, you and I
have spoken about this topic as well, and that athletics
has often been a sport that people do alongside what
might be their main sport. They might play rugby, football, hockey,
whatever it is in the winter and then track and
field in the summer, or they use it to supplement
their fitness. Is it important that more youngsters in particular
have track and field as their main sport or not?
Speaker 2 (06:37):
A Look, I'm personally pretty relaxed about that, to be honest.
I just think more people involved will either push those
that really want to progress through because they've got more
competition for longer. That's important, you know, if you've got
more people that start line when you're fourteen than what
you would have, even if some of those are dropping out,
that's going to make you a better athlete because you've
got that competition element for longer. So I'm personally pretty relaxed.
(06:58):
I think you do see people come in and out
of the sport at different times. If you look at
some of our athletes, you know Hamish Care actually stop
jumping for a couple of years and then back into it.
Maddie Wish he picked it up pretty late, So you know,
there are different stories for different athletes. I think that's
one of the beauties of athletics, it is it's got
different entry entry points, so you know, it's maybe not
(07:19):
as linear as say a footballer that has to do
so many hours along the way, or a gymnast for example.
Ues there are some real technical elements to some of
the events themselves, but I think athletes can show that
they can come in and out now poll Wolds, you know,
I think many of them didn't take that up till
they were sort of you know, early teams. So I
think that's one of the benefits of athletics is that
actually it is a sport. We've got that able space,
(07:43):
we've got the powers space, all different shapes and sizes,
and we just want people involved. And if more people involved,
we're going to be healthier. And then I think as
a byproduct of that, more people will probably pulled through
the pathway and out the other side in terms of
these high performance athletes.
Speaker 1 (07:57):
Indeed, just while I've got you, you'd previously expressed interest
in hosting the twenty twenty eight World Indoor Champs. Is
there any update on that.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
Challenging just facilities is a challenge With the World Indoors,
we thought it would be a little bit easier to
sort of put a I guess a two hundred meter
track inside a stadium, but it's got real complication around
just a turf and the timing of year in March
with Super Rugby and Black Cats cricket and all those
other things. So that's a difficult one for us. But
(08:26):
we are still in real positive dialogue with Word Athletics
around events. I mean there's a whole host of different
events that they deliver through trail and mountain and running
on roads and obviously all the track and field elements too,
So we're still having conversation about you know what a
major global event could look like in New Zealand, but
in terms of the short track at the stage for
(08:47):
twenty eight it's probably a bridge too far.
Speaker 1 (08:50):
Really appreciate the update and congratulations on the success New
Zealand's had the World Track and Field Champs over the
last week to ten days. Cam, great to catch out,
Thanks for your time.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
That is Cam Mitchell. He is the CEO of Athletics
New Zealand And has just got back from Tokyo where
we've enjoyed our best ever World Trade and Field Championship. Hamish,
Kermedi Wishi and Jordy Beamish all on the podium and
a host of others making finals as well. So looking
good for the next Olympic cyclers we head towards Los
Angeles and twenty twenty eight. Of course, we've got a
(09:21):
Commonwealth Games next year which will have a full track
and field program, and then another World Championships heading into
the Olympics in twenty twenty eight. So some of the
names that we've seen prominent in the last week to
ten days in Tokyo may well be equally so over
the next three years. Of the next Olympic cycle. For
more from sports talk, listen live to news talks. It'd
(09:43):
be from seven pm weekdays, or follow the podcast on
iHeartRadio
You're listening to the sports Talk podcast with Dancy Wildergrave
from News Talk zedb Zealand have finished equal fifth on
the medal table at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
Two golds in a bronze, Hamish Kurt with a high
jump gold meti where she took bronze of the women's shotput,
and of course Jordy Beamish with a memorable win in
(00:27):
the three thousand meter steeple chase. Here comes Tony Bevis,
Albert Tardy over that last barrier. Watch the kiwi he finishes,
say rightly her.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
He's coming.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
He's coosing this side, flie side.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
And this time it COEs to t mes.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
Incredible as well as that. Tom Walsh was fourth in
the men's shotput, throwing a season's best twenty one point
ninety four meters. There were three kiwis, Eliza McCartney, Olivia
mctaggett and Imma Generis in the women's pole vault final,
Olivia McTaggart finishing eighth. Zoey Hobbes just missing the final
of the women's one hundred meters but finished with a
ranking of twelfth in the world. Tory Morby was seventh
(01:06):
and women's javelin final, and Connor Bell last night was
tenth in the men's discus finals. So quite the list.
Athletics New Zealand CEO as Cam Mitchell. He's just got
back from Tokyo having watched it all unfold, Cam, these
were our best ever World Champs. How pleased are you
with how things played out in the last week or
so in Tokyo.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
It's hard to be that intro, isn't it amazing? Yeah? No,
it looks at been incredible couple of weeks for us
up in Tokyo, and yeah, it's just been amazing what
the athletes have done. And I guess just shows the
depth that we know that we've sort of talked about,
but we've been able to sort of put them into
surreal performances where it matters at the World Champs. So
very exciting time for us.
Speaker 1 (01:46):
Did you go up there with optimism? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (01:49):
Always, I mean we're always pretty optimistic. I think is
the country, aren't we? But to have that level of
success has just been amazing. So, you know, it's so
competitive global athletics, and we know we've got a whole
lot of good athletes and you sort of think we, look,
can we get one or two, But to have the
level of success nine athletes and finals twelfth in the
world with her time and many other really good performances,
(02:10):
even someone like a less a little bit of that.
His only twenty came sixteenth in the world. So yeah,
lots of really promising results. You know, we're sort of
three years away from la that's really the critical metric
for us with hbsn Z funding. But to see the
tracking at the stage of that of the cycle, is
it really impressive?
Speaker 1 (02:28):
Hamus Kerr. Of course, one Olympic gold last year, Madi
Wishy silver at the Olympics in Paris, So I guess
they were always going to be in the mix. But
did you expect what you saw from Jordy Beamish to happen?
Speaker 2 (02:39):
Oh? Look, Jordie's a massive talent. We obviously saw his
World indoor campaign. Unfortunately had a pretty disruptive Olympics with injury,
and he's actually been injured all the way through. So
he certainly got it in him and we've seen that
and what he's delivered. I think he was really the
headline story for the whole Games. If we're being honest,
with the fact that he sort of got knocked down
and spiked to the face, got up and sort of
(03:01):
showed that resilience to get himself to the final then
to win the way he did. So he was very
much the talk of OK for sure, but the talented
athlete and just delighted he's been able to deliver a
second World Championship title for him. So hopefully if he
can stay fit, you know, he has a real chance
in LA for sure.
Speaker 1 (03:17):
There's nothing quite like that black singlet coming down the
home straight, is there. Look, I know we've had great
success in the in the field events as well, but
watching that black singlet in the middle distance races coming
down the home straight, there's something just a bit special
about it, isn't there.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
Yeah. Well, it's a great history, is and I think
people still remember the golden era that New Zealand ATHLETs
have had and I think look the Black Singler Association
with the All Blacks in Japan, we had a lot
of support, you know, out in Japan for our for
our athletes, which is awesome to see. It also looks
pretty good sprinting mate when Zoe's running down as well,
So you know, I think as I said, just just
(03:52):
amazing results across the board for everybody that was out there.
Speaker 1 (03:55):
Of course, you administer athletics right across the New Zealand
from grassroots up to elite. How important are results at
elite level to the overall health of the sport of athlete?
Speaker 2 (04:07):
Yeah, look, it's critical a number of ways. I mean,
you know, clearly people still have that connection and aspire
to want to see people that they can believe that
they can become, so that that participation element is quite important.
And then you've got the whole commercial piece. You know,
you and I've chatted about this before, but we've still
got a lot of work to do to raise the
profile of our sport. You know, we want to be
(04:27):
back and seen as a tear one sport. We've got
to really think about how we can do that. So
what's happened in the last couple of weeks because it's
a really good opportunity to continue a lot of the
dialogue that we've been having to make sure that we're
around the table and we're being thought about when companies
are thinking about where they spend the marketing, does you
know we need to get more investment into our sport
and if we can do that, then what we can
(04:48):
achieve is quite significant, because we're already starting to see
that with these results. But if we had a bit
more investment, but more profile than that participation base that
you talk of, will pull throw. Athletics is still a
massive sport in the fundamental skill movement space and in
college you know the lot of people that still participateating
in track and field and cross country, so you know,
(05:10):
there's a lot of good things going on, but that
investment for us is really really critical as well as
raising that profile.
Speaker 1 (05:15):
And you mentioned high performance funding there as well. Cam
how much the results like this help in your discussions
around high performance funding.
Speaker 2 (05:23):
Yeah, look, important marker at two levels. So we've got
certain sort of metrics that we've got to hit along
the lines towards LA. We've got clear targets for LA.
You know, we did very well in Paris and I
guess both in the Paralympics space but also in the
Olympics itself with the middle as you mentioned before, So
that's really positive and we've got to keep those trends
(05:44):
tracking that way so that we keep the investment there.
The other critical thing is for the athletes themselves. So
if you look at Toy for example, you know she's
just in a seventh in the world. She dropped out
of the tap cycle last time jet A results, so
now she's back in the frameworks having those sorts of
positive conversations. So yeah, it's important for us to support
the athletes, but also for the athletes themselves to be
(06:06):
in the mix so that they've actually got some ability
to generate and come to help support their training and
their programs that they undertake to get them to the
start line.
Speaker 1 (06:15):
If we go to grassroots again, Cam, you and I
have spoken about this topic as well, and that athletics
has often been a sport that people do alongside what
might be their main sport. They might play rugby, football, hockey,
whatever it is in the winter and then track and
field in the summer, or they use it to supplement
their fitness. Is it important that more youngsters in particular
have track and field as their main sport or not?
Speaker 2 (06:37):
A Look, I'm personally pretty relaxed about that, to be honest.
I just think more people involved will either push those
that really want to progress through because they've got more
competition for longer. That's important, you know, if you've got
more people that start line when you're fourteen than what
you would have, even if some of those are dropping out,
that's going to make you a better athlete because you've
got that competition element for longer. So I'm personally pretty relaxed.
(06:58):
I think you do see people come in and out
of the sport at different times. If you look at
some of our athletes, you know Hamish Care actually stop
jumping for a couple of years and then back into it.
Maddie Wish he picked it up pretty late, So you know,
there are different stories for different athletes. I think that's
one of the beauties of athletics, it is it's got
different entry entry points, so you know, it's maybe not
(07:19):
as linear as say a footballer that has to do
so many hours along the way, or a gymnast for example.
Ues there are some real technical elements to some of
the events themselves, but I think athletes can show that
they can come in and out now poll Wolds, you know,
I think many of them didn't take that up till
they were sort of you know, early teams. So I
think that's one of the benefits of athletics is that
actually it is a sport. We've got that able space,
(07:43):
we've got the powers space, all different shapes and sizes,
and we just want people involved. And if more people involved,
we're going to be healthier. And then I think as
a byproduct of that, more people will probably pulled through
the pathway and out the other side in terms of
these high performance athletes.
Speaker 1 (07:57):
Indeed, just while I've got you, you'd previously expressed interest
in hosting the twenty twenty eight World Indoor Champs. Is
there any update on that.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
Challenging just facilities is a challenge With the World Indoors,
we thought it would be a little bit easier to
sort of put a I guess a two hundred meter
track inside a stadium, but it's got real complication around
just a turf and the timing of year in March
with Super Rugby and Black Cats cricket and all those
other things. So that's a difficult one for us. But
(08:26):
we are still in real positive dialogue with Word Athletics
around events. I mean there's a whole host of different
events that they deliver through trail and mountain and running
on roads and obviously all the track and field elements too,
So we're still having conversation about you know what a
major global event could look like in New Zealand, but
in terms of the short track at the stage for
(08:47):
twenty eight it's probably a bridge too far.
Speaker 1 (08:50):
Really appreciate the update and congratulations on the success New
Zealand's had the World Track and Field Champs over the
last week to ten days. Cam, great to catch out,
Thanks for your time.
Speaker 2 (08:58):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
That is Cam Mitchell. He is the CEO of Athletics
New Zealand And has just got back from Tokyo where
we've enjoyed our best ever World Trade and Field Championship. Hamish,
Kermedi Wishi and Jordy Beamish all on the podium and
a host of others making finals as well. So looking
good for the next Olympic cyclers we head towards Los
Angeles and twenty twenty eight. Of course, we've got a
(09:21):
Commonwealth Games next year which will have a full track
and field program, and then another World Championships heading into
the Olympics in twenty twenty eight. So some of the
names that we've seen prominent in the last week to
ten days in Tokyo may well be equally so over
the next three years. Of the next Olympic cycle. For
more from sports talk, listen live to news talks. It'd
(09:43):
be from seven pm weekdays, or follow the podcast on
iHeartRadio
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