The Allan and Sylvia Potts Classic opens the Continental Tour
The Allan and Sylvia Potts Classic opens the Continental Tour in the Oceania Area with a lot on offer at Mitre10 Sports Park in Hastings. Ranking points and qualification standards are up for grabs as athletes begin their push towards the Commonwealth Games, World Indoor Championships and World Under 20 Championships in 2026.
Alongside the Classic, the inaugural New Zealand Short Track Championships will crown the country’s first short track champions of New Zealand. Recent World Athletics rule changes have opened a new pathway for World Indoor qualification through outdoor short track competition, adding extra opportunity to every performance. Oceania’s fastest woman Zoe Hobbs will headline the 60 metres, with a strong group of young New Zealand sprinters close behind.
New Zealand’s emerging and established talent will be on show throughout the short track programme. Tiaan Whelpton arrives as the form athlete in the men’s 60 metres. Shay Veitch continues his steady rise in the men’s long jump as he closes in on the national record. Nick Palmer, the reigning Oceania champion, opens his 2026 season in the shot put with the national short track title in his sights.
Para athletics will also feature prominently, with New Zealand hosting its Para Short Track Championships. Lisa Adams leads the entries as the reigning world champion in the shot put, while Paddy Walsh returns to the runway in the Para Long Jump following her world championship campaign, Walsh will also line up in the 60m.
Kiwi Sprinting is continuing to rise and sets the scene for a head-to-head clash in the Womens 400m Potts Classic Event. World University Games representatives Isabel Neal and Jordyn Blak. Line up against the NZ u20 Record Holder Madeline Waddell.
New Zealand’s 400m Record Holder Lex Revell Lewis will step down to the 200m Distance in Hastings, going head-to-head with Zach Saunders both entering the meet with equal seed times.
The Potts Memorial 800 metres sits at the heart of the meeting once again, setting the stage for fast racing and familiar rivalries. The women’s 800 metres brings another familiar matchup, with the Hellyer twins Sarah and Lisa set to race head-to-head. Sarah, the national u19 record holder, leads a field of Kiwi middle-distance runners in close pursuit of Rose Twyford, Camryn Smart, and Holly Rule. In the men’s race, Sam Tanner and Sam Ruthe renew their rivalry over the shorter distance, with qualification marks, records and squad bragging rights all in play.
New Zealand’s 300m Hurdles will also be contested in Hastings, who will take home the National Crown?
Pacific Island athletes also have a chance to make history. Cook Islands athletes’ step into the short track environment with national records within reach. Max Teuruaa lines up after recently clearing four metres in the pole vault, aiming to better his official national mark. Daniel Tolosa takes on the 60 metres against New Zealand’s best, while Pacific Mini Games champion, and Samoan Hammer Record Holder Iorana Taufafo Tafili opens her season in the women’s hammer throw.
The Allan and Sylvia Potts Classic and New Zealand Short Track Championships will be broadcast live from 4pm on TVNZ+. Live results will be available on Athletic.net for viewers following from outside New Zealand.
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