Liam Lamb [321] on his way to a World University Games qualifying time at the Porritt Classic. PHOTO/SUPPLIED
ATHLETICS
CHRIS COGDALE
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Wairarapa athlete Liam Lamb has qualified for the World University Games with a new personal best for the 5000m.
Lamb smashed his previous best by 14 seconds with 14 minutes 17.55 seconds for an outstanding fourth place in a strong field at the Porritt Classic in Hamilton on Saturday.
In doing so, the 19-year-old bettered the qualifying standard by more than two seconds for this year’s University Games scheduled for Chengdu, China, in August.
Lamb’s coach Mark Harris said it was a fantastic result.
“The aim was to get a qualifying time. He set a good time, but there’s still another seven to 10 seconds of improvement.”
Harris said that there are no further suitable 5000m races this season, so Lamb will now target a qualifying time for the 1500m at the Capital Classic at Newtown Park, Wellington on Saturday, or the national championships in three weeks.
“He has to break 3:48 but based on his mile at Cooks Gardens recently, he went through the 1500m in 3:46, so we suspect he should be able to do the qualifying time.”
Another of Harris’s charges came away from Hamilton with good results in the men’s para events.
Jack Lewington was second in the shot put with a PB of 7.45m, and third in the 100m.
Fifteen-year-old MacKenzie Murray was also in good form at an interclub meeting in Wellington, setting a PB for the hammer with a throw of 28m, an outstanding achievement given that she only took up the discipline last season.
