Kiwi athlete’s tilt at perfection

Each heptathlete goals of it. The right heptathlon – executing a private greatest in all seven totally different occasions – is the last word efficiency.

The mixed occasion is punishing – 100m hurdles, excessive bounce, shot put, 200m, lengthy bounce, javelin and 800m; all seven observe and area occasions over two days, culminating in an total heptathlon rating.

Monitor and area historical past suggests the chance of all the celebrities aligning to create an final private greatest in heptathlon is extraordinarily small – significantly with the straight conflicting physiological necessities of, for instance, the shot put and the 800m.

However 21-year-old Maddie Wilson has simply proved it’s doable – with private greatest performances in each occasion on her option to smashing out a brand new profession greatest heptathlon complete of 5990 factors, on the nationwide mixed occasions championships in Dunedin final month.

(As a former hepathlete (now observe and area practice spotter) I can say that is very uncommon as I’ve by no means heard of an completed senior athlete attaining the proper seven. It would occur at a junior/novice stage however at Maddie’s stage is outstanding.)

“I knew I had some fine condition going into nationals, setting 4 PBs in 4 occasions this yr already,” the nationwide heptathlon champion says. “Nevertheless it’s a heptathlon so that you settle for the truth that you’re going to have ups and downs.

“We actually didn’t anticipate the rating.”

However Wilson pulled off close to perfection.

Earlier than Dunedin, Wilson’s greatest was 5349 factors, set eventually yr’s Australian nationwide championships.

After an enormous day one in Dunedin, heading into the second day and the fifth occasion –the lengthy bounce – Wilson was decided to be ‘aggressively constructive’ and simply maintain having fun with the occasion.

Going into the ultimate 800m occasion, Wilson says it was the primary time she may actually get out the heptathlon factors tables and do the maths on how briskly she wanted to run to interrupt the magical 6000-point barrier.

“When it got here all the way down to the 800m and I put in my factors in, I believed ‘Maintain up, I may have a crack at 6000’…that was loopy!” she says.

Needing to run a 5 second private greatest to crack the barrier, Wilson went after it operating a fast 64s lap earlier than coming house in 2m 15.4s – narrowly lacking her goal, however nonetheless setting an enormous 641-point heptathlon private greatest.

A gifted junior athlete, Wilson set a New Zealand U18 document in Townsville on the 2019 Oceania championships (her complete 5179 factors).

On the time, she didn’t truly practice for heptathlon however was inspired by her former coach, Terry Lomax, to pursue heptathlon. She finally moved to Christchurch to be skilled by Lomax and to review civil engineering.

She laughs remembering the primary time she ever did a mixed occasion competitors – a six-event hexathon – when Lomax taught her easy methods to hurdle within the warm-up.

“I keep in mind hitting my knee and getting an enormous bruise earlier than the race. I used to be so terrified!” she laughs.

Now in her fourth yr at Canterbury College, Wilson appears like she’s lastly arrived in heptathlon. She now trains below coach James Sandilands.

“James is new to teaching mixed occasions as properly, so I suppose we’re each studying. However he’s such an awesome coach and individual,” she says.

The winner of the lads’s decathlon on the New Zealand nationals, Angus Lyver, additionally trains below Sandilands and alongside Wilsons’ accomplice, excessive jumper Hamish Kerr (the brand new world indoor excessive bounce champion).

“I believe my progress is a results of taking time to construct into the heptathlon,” Wilson says. “I’ve additionally solely taken one summer time faculty paper which has meant I’ve had extra time to give attention to coaching and restoration.”

Regardless that Wilson has improved loads recently within the excessive bounce (setting a brand new private better of 1.86m in Dunedin) and hitting 6.05m within the lengthy bounce, she feels she’s nonetheless obtained much more within the jumps occasions to enhance on.

“It’s about getting good points throughout the board which is thrilling. With hurdles, there’s a whole lot of potential to get technically higher and use my new velocity,” she says.

“This efficiency provides me confidence about what I can do.”

It’s additionally useful for Wilson that there are different heptathletes in New Zealand who’re capable of push her, like Briana Stephenson, who scored 5534 in final December.

“Briana’s enchancment has been loopy. It positively made me wish to be there as properly,” Wilson says.

Stephenson went on to set a brand new better of 5619 factors at nationals competing towards Wilson – each pushing one another proper to the road within the closing occasion.

“Having her there within the 800m and us simply burying ourselves, it was fairly cool,” says Wilson.

Rising up in Gisborne, Wilson was a sporty child who began athletics on the age of seven alongside taking part in soccer and doing surf lifesaving, successful nationwide medals within the seaside dash. 

“Dad used to run 400m and 800ms. He obtained me into athletics and, actually, Mum and Dad run the native athletics membership in Gizzy,” she says.

Wilson will now flip her consideration to competing on the nationwide observe and area championships in Wellington subsequent week, the place she’s going to compete within the excessive bounce, lengthy bounce and shot put. That leads into her subsequent heptathlon on the Australian nationwide championships in April.

“There’s all the time a lot to work on in heptathlon. Typically it will probably really feel overwhelming however there’s all the time so many areas you possibly can enhance on,” she says.

“I do know that I can do it now and I belong on this occasion.”

How Maddie Wilson reached 5990 factors on the NZ mixed occasions championships:

100m hurdles – 14.55 PB

Excessive Soar – 1.86m PB

Shot – 12.51m PB

200m – 24.67 (2.8) *

Lengthy Soar – 6.05m PB

Javelin – 40.48m – PB

800m – 2:15.14 – PB

*Technically the 200m is over the authorized wind studying of two.0m/s restrict. Nevertheless, in mixed occasions for the general heptathlon rating to be authorized the three wind readings throughout 100m hurdles, 200m and lengthy bounce should not exceed 6.0m/s. So this columnist – being a former heptathlete – contains this as a private greatest.