Magic Moment: Filling the podium at New Zealand Championships
Today we turn the clock back to 2009 and remember when Southland filled all three spots on the podium at the New Zealand Track & Field Championships.
Southland athletics has produced many magical moments so as part of a Tribune series we are recalling some of them. Today we turn the clock back to 2009 and remember when Southland filled all three spots on the podium at the New Zealand Track & Field Championships.
Twenty-one medals, two New Zealand records, seven Southland records, personal bests in all directions – for Southland the 2009 New Zealand Track & Field Championships in Wellington had a long list of superlatives.
According to long time Southland athletics followers, this was the province’s best ever showing at a national championship.
But it was the triple jump trifecta that stood out. It’s not often all three medallists come from the same team, even less so when all three are from Southland.
The first event on the Sunday of the national championships was the MU20 triple jump.
By the third round Southlanders were 1, 2 and 3. That’s the way it stayed, the only variation being Todd Swanson and Matthew Robinson swapping the lead.
In the end Matthew took the gold with 14.51, a new Southland record, Todd silver on 14.28, and Ben Graham bronze with 13.45.
Results went against expectations as Todd was a specialist triple jumper and Matt a part time triple jumper. He had already won the 400m in a Southland record time.
Todd later won gold medals of his own and still holds the Southland senior TJ record.
However, Matt’s age group tiple jump record still stands, as does his 400 mark (47.78).
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