This season pairs the premier Summer Circuit with a slate of national permit meets, with national championships spread across both.

Summer Circuit and national permit meets

The Summer Circuit meets are the highest graded meets in New Zealand and broadcast live and free on TVNZ+ this summer. They attract significant world rankings points, and bring top NZ and international athletes together for action-packed and fan-focused athletics events.

National permit meets run alongside the circuit. These meets aim to serve as a development opportunity while also offering a high-quality competitive environment, with events located regionally around New Zealand to improve access for up-and-coming athletes, from meets like the Lovelock and Porritt Classics to specialist events like the Sola Power Throws Meet and the NZ Combined Events Championships. 

The Calendar

November 2026

South Island Masters Track & Field Championships

Invercargill | 20-22 November

North Island Masters Track & Field Championships
Hamilton | 27-29 November

December 2026

New Zealand Secondary Schools Track & Field Championships
Whanganui | 11-13 December

Night of 5’s
Auckland | 19 December
World Athletics E Permit.

January 2027

NZ 10,000m Championships
Tauranga | 3 January 2027
Hosted in conjunction with the Tauranga Twilight Meet.

Lovelock Classic
Timaru | 9 January
World Athletics E Permit. (Subject to venue approval)

Potts Classic & Short Track Championships – Summer Circuit
Hastings | 23 January
NZ Short Track Championships
NZ 3000m Championships
NZ 300m Hurdles Championships
NZ U20 300m Hurdles Championships.

Oceania Masters Track & Field Championships, including the NZMA Championships
Christchurch | 27-31 January

Cooks International Classic – Summer Circuit
Whanganui | 30 January
World Athletics Continental Tour.
NZ Mile Championships. 

February 2027

Sola Power Throws Meet
Wellington | 5 & 6 February
World Athletics E Permit Meet. (Subject to venue approval)

Capital Classic
Wellington | 1 February
World Athletics E Permit Meet.

NZ Combined Events Championships
Dunedin | 13 & 14 February

Dame Yvette Williams Memorial Meet
Dunedin | 13 February
World Athletics E Permit Meet.

Porritt Classic
Hamilton | 13 February
World Athletics E Permit Meet
NZ U20 3000m Championships.

International Track Meet – Summer Circuit
Christchurch | 21 February
World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze Meet.
NZ U20 Mile Championships. 

Sir Graeme Douglas International – Summer Circuit
Auckland | 28 February
World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze Meet.

New Zealand’s premier series of track and field events returns this summer, with the 2027 Summer Circuit set to bring the country’s top athletes, alongside international competition, to fans across the country in five top-flight meetings.

From the short track showdowns at Mitre 10 Sports Park in Hastings to Track Stars under the lights at The Trusts Arena in Auckland, the Summer Circuit delivers the biggest names in New Zealand athletics to fans who want to get close to the action. International athletes, Olympic medallists, world champions, and the next generation of New Zealand’s finest, all in the same programme, across the Summer Circuit.

And if you can’t make it in person, you don’t have to miss a moment. Every Summer Circuit meeting will be broadcast live and free on TVNZ+, bringing the action to fans across New Zealand. The pinnacle of the circuit, Track Stars will again reach right into Kiwi homes, airing live and free on TVNZ 1 from 7 PM to 9:30 PM.

Tickets for spectators, plus athlete entries for the Summer Circuit, will be available later in 2026. 

Event assignments and the full event grid will be confirmed and published closer to the summer season.
Dates for the wider national track and field season, including all National Permit (E-graded) events and national championship races, will be announced in the coming weeks.

Summer Circuit Dates

The Allan and Sylvia Potts Memorial Classic, in conjunction with the
New Zealand Short Track Championships
Mitre10 Sports Park, Hastings
23 January 2027

The PAK’nSAVE Cooks International Classic
Cooks Gardens, Whanganui
30 January 2027

The International Track Meet
Nga Puna Wai, Christchurch
21 February 2027

The Sir Graeme Douglas International
Douglas Track & Field, The Trusts Arena, Auckland
28 February 2027

The New Zealand Track and Field Championships & Track Stars
Douglas Track & Field, The Trusts Arena, Auckland
11-14 March 2027

Mia de Jager joins the team in the women’s 400m. She is the reigning NZ U20 400m champion. She achieved the World U20 qualifying standard before lowering her personal best further to 54.07 in January 2026. A versatile athlete, she also competes over 200m and in the high jump, and has run for New Zealand in the mixed 4x400m relay.

Kate Hallie is an Auckland thrower who won the national U20 shot put title in 2024 and in 2025. She has personal bests of 14.65m in the shot put, and 51.89m in the discus, both set this year. She is now competing on a scholarship at Miami University in the United States.

Caitlin Kirk joins the team in the 3000m steeplechase, with a personal best of 10:27.20 from April of this year. From the central Hawke’s Bay and is currently attending Massey University in Palmerston North, pursuing a bachelor of Sport and Exercise.

Hunter Scott earns selection in the men’s 400m. Scott is a Christchurch sprinter who has held national age-group titles across the 100m, 200m and 400m. He ran a 400m personal best of 47.13 in Brisbane in April 2026.

Hamish Murray joins the team in the men’s 1500m. Murray has been racing with Eastern Kentucky University in the USA over the past year, during which he lowered his 1500m PB to 3:46.80 at the Wake Forest Invitational.

Sam Ruthe has made the decision to withdraw from the team to focus on a comprehensive return-to-performance programme following his earlier injury, which also ruled him out of Commonwealth Games selection consideration. The timeframe to be fully race-ready for the U20 Championships was always going to be challenging and carried some additional risk to achieving a complete and sustainable return. Sam is prioritising his long-term development and is excited to continue building a strong winter foundation over the coming months. He has also withdrawn from consideration for the World Athletics Road Running team scheduled for September, with his focus firmly on returning stronger and building throughout winter to the NZ Summer.

Congratulations to the newly selected athletes, and the entire 19-strong team selected to compete in Eugene. The Championships will be held at Hayward Field, Eugene, Oregon from 5–9 August 2026.

New Selections

Mia de Jager – 200m & 400m Coach: Criss Strange
Kate Hallie –  Shot Put and Discus Coach: Ryan Smith
Caitlin Kirk – 3000m Steeplechase Coach: Richard Potts
Hunter Scott – 400m Coach: Adam Blake
Hamish Murray – 1500m Coach: Mia Forster

Non-Travelling Reserves
Melelosaline Lose – Discus Coach: John Eden 
Phoebe Laker – 400m Coach: Michael Beable

Previously Selected Athletes

Kendra Scally-Tu’i – 100m & 200m Coach: Gary Henley-Smith
Madeleine Waddell – 400m Coach: Sonia Waddell
Boh Ritchie – 800m Coach: Ryan Foster
Poppy Healy – 800m Coach: Matt Rowe
Zara Pomfret – 1500m Coach: Graeme Holden
Scarlett Robb – 1500m & 3000m Coach: Graeme Holden
Nina Chalmers – 3000m Coach: Phil Clode
Bronwen Rees-Jones – 3000m Steeplechase Coach: Steve Rees-Jones
Karmen Maritz  – Shot Put & Discus Coach: Mike Schofield
Manaia Christiansen – Shot Put Coach: John Eden
Austin McDougall – Shot Put & Discus Coach: Mike Schofield
Joe Martin – 800m Coach: Ian Moini
Conall McLean – 800m Coach: Hamish Meacham
George Wyllie – 1500m Coach: Mia Forster

Meet our team and view their competition schedules here.

Steeplechase world champion Geordie Beamish headlines the Kiwi contingent on the track. Beamish stunned the sporting world in 2025 when he flew from seventh to the lead to overhaul two-time Olympic champion Soufiane El Bakkali in the final strides at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. The win was New Zealand’s first-ever world title in a men’s track event.

Beamish is now based in Boulder, Colorado and will be looking to improve on his fifth-place finish at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

The Men’s Shot Put is set to be a one to watch in Glasgow.

Four-time world indoor champ Tom Walsh, the most decorated male athlete in World Athletics Indoor Championships history with seven medals, returns to defend his Commonwealth Games title alongside Birmingham 2022 silver medallist Jacko Gill.

Walsh and Gill’s one-two finish in Birmingham was one of the big moments of the Games, with the pair now joined by rising young thrower Nick Palmer at Glasgow 2026. Palmer has trained alongside Walsh in recent years and is a regular 20m+ thrower.

In the women’s field events, Imogen Ayris makes her return to the Games as the reigning Commonwealth Games bronze medallist in the Pole Vault.

She will arrive in Glasgow in career-best form after a bronze medal at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Toruń in 2026 and clearing a new PB of 4.81m at the Paavo Nurmi Games in Turku, Finland in June.

She is joined in the Pole Vault by three-time Olympian and 2018 Commonwealth Games silver medallist Eliza McCartney, the national record holder at 4.94m and 2025 London Diamond League winner Olivia McTaggart. The trio makes up one of the deepest Women’s Pole Vault groups New Zealand has fielded at a major Games.

Reigning High Jump World, Commonwealth and Olympic champion Hamish Kerr also returns to the New Zealand Team. Kerr cleared 2.30m earlier this year at the Track Stars event in Auckland and has set his sights for more at Glasgow 2026.

Sprint star Zoe Hobbs leads the women’s track programme fresh off of a Diamond League podium in Oslo and an 11.00s performance over 100m in Darwin at the Oceania Athletics Championships.

In the middle distances the New Zealand Team is represented by Paris Olympian James Preston in the Men’s 800m, who shattered Sir Peter Snell’s 62-year-old 800m national record in 2024, and two-time Olympian Sam Tanner who will contest the Men’s One Mile. Geordie Beamish has also been given permission to start in the Men’s One Mile in Glasgow, meaning two Kiwis could contest the distance which returns to the Commonwealth Games programme for the first time since 1966.

National Javelin record holder Tori Moorby and five-time national Hammer champion Lauren Bruce lead the women’s throws, while reigning World Under-20 Triple Jump champion Ethan Olivier makes his Commonwealth Games debut. 

The Heptathlon features debutants Briana Stephenson, alongside national champion Maddie Wilson. Anthony Barmes, James Steyn and Nick Southgate round out the team in the Men’s Hammer and Pole Vault respectively.

Athletics New Zealand CEO, Cam Mitchell, said the team was one of the strongest athletics contingents New Zealand had assembled for a Commonwealth Games.

“From reigning World, Commonwealth and Olympic champions to athletes competing at their first Games, we have exceptional depth and real medal aspirations across multiple events. Glasgow 2026 is going to be an outstanding Games for New Zealand athletics.”

New Zealand Olympic Committee CEO, Nicki Nicol, congratulated the athletes on their selections.

“We welcome each of the 21 athletes selected to the New Zealand Team for Glasgow 2026,” said Nicol.

“In recent years, Athletics has provided us with some memorable moments at Games time and we hope this group will continue that legacy of performance excellence, all while wearing the fern with pride and distinction,” she said.

The Athletics programme takes place at Scotstoun Sports Campus from 27 July to 1 August.

NZ Team — Athletics | Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games:
Max Attwell – Men’s Decathlon
Imogen Ayris – Women’s Pole Vault
Anthony Barmes – Men’s Hammer Throw
Geordie Beamish – Men’s 3000m Steeplechase
Lauren Bruce – Women’s Hammer Throw
Jacko Gill – Men’s Shot Put
Anna Grimaldi – Women’s 100m T47 (selected on 30 April)
Zoe Hobbs – Women’s 100m
Hamish Kerr – Men’s High Jump
Eliza McCartney – Women’s Pole Vault
Olivia McTaggart – Women’s Pole Vault
Tori Moorby – Women’s Javelin
Ethan Olivier – Men’s Triple Jump
Nick Palmer – Men’s Shot Put
James Preston – Men’s 800m
Nick Southgate – Men’s Pole Vault
James Steyn – Men’s Pole Vault
Briana Stephenson – Women’s Heptathlon
Sam Tanner – Men’s One Mile
Tom Walsh – Men’s Shot Put
Maddie Wilson – Women’s Heptathlon

The following athlete has been granted permission to start in an additional event at the Games:
Geordie Beamish – Men’s One Mile

Beatrice Faumuina CNZM, ONZM, was made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to sport and governance

Beatrice a former athlete, having won 21 New Zealand senior titles (17 discus throw and 4 shot put), and has held governance roles in sport and business, and has worked in international relations.

From 2015 to 2018 she was the New Zealand Trade Commissioner and Consul General in New York, and was a member of the New Zealand and Samoa Trade Investment Commission. She has held many national governance roles, including as a Trustee of the Spark Foundation, a member of the Women in Sport Aotearoa Steering Committee and a member of the Westpac Sustainability Expert Advisory Panel. She was Deputy Chair of The Trusts Area from 2021 to 2024, and helped coordinate assistance provided to families evacuated to the Arena during the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Floods. Over her athletics career, she represented New Zealand at four Olympics Games, five Commonwealth Games, and six World Athletics Championships, winning the gold medal in the discus at the 1997 Athens world championships. She was a member of the Athletes’ Commissions for the International Association of Athletics Federations, and the New Zealand Olympic Committee. She served two terms as Director of Sport New Zealand, where she helped shape High Performance Sport New Zealand’s design of wellbeing initiatives to manage athlete mental health. She was co-host of ‘Straight Up with Niva and Beatrice Faumuinā’, which was a finalist for best original podcast at the 2023 Voyager Awards. She was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2005 and was inducted into the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame in 2019.

Barbara Beable MNZM was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to athletics.

Barbara Beable (née Poulsen) has contributed more than 60 years to sport and athletics as an athlete, coach, and educator.

She won 17 senior individual New Zealand Championship titles between 1966 and 1978, including nine in the pentathlon and eight in shot put. She represented New Zealand at three Commonwealth Games, winning silver in the shot put in the 1970 Edinburgh Games. Her highest international ranking for pentathlon was fourth. She worked with her husband, Dr Michael Beable to create a unique training environment that saw many reach national and international success. As Head of Physical Education for 26 years at Queen Margaret College Wellington, she introduced modern fitness programmes that underpinned the sports and recreational programmes, and was a member of the pilot group that pioneered Physical Education as an academic subject. Alongside Dame Lois Muir and the Capital Shakers Netball team in the early 2000s, she worked as the strength and conditioning coach, introducing the players to techniques and processes that now form the basis of modern training programmes. Many of those players later became Silver Ferns, including some who still coach today. Since retiring to Wānaka in 2016, she has continued to coach at the Aspiring Athletics Club while endeavouring to raise funds to further develop facilities for the youth of Wānaka.

Dr Michael Beable MNZM was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to athletics.

Michael has contributed more than 50 years to athletics as an athlete and a coach.

As a self-taught athlete, he held the Wellington long jump record for 16 years and was selected twice for New Zealand international teams. He began formal coaching in 1974, in partnership with his wife, Mrs Barbara Beable. He has coached athletes to 133 national titles at New Zealand Open and Secondary School level. 55 have represented New Zealand, with some competing at Olympic and Commonwealth Games and World Championships. He held national coaching roles, including Head Coach for the 1981 New Zealand team to the Pre-Commonwealth Games International Meeting in Brisbane, and Auxiliary Coach at the 1990 Auckland Games. Between 1977 and 1983 he served on the Athletics New Zealand National Coaching Committee, where he helped shape coaching nationally with the production of the Athletics New Zealand Coaching Manual, from which the junior athletics’ Run-Jump-Throws programme was derived. He led development of the national coaching structure and Coaches Diploma. He continues to coach both school athletes with the Aspiring Athletics Club and high-performing senior athletes, including Shay Veitch, the current and four-time national New Zealand long jump champion. In 2022, Michael was awarded Athletics New Zealand’s highest coaching honour, the Arthur Eustace Award for Coaching.

Trevor Spittle MNZM was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to athletics.

Trevor has volunteered as an athletics official, administrator and educator for more than 40 years.

He initially volunteered at the former QEII Stadium in Christchurch in the early 1980s, quickly progressing from timekeeper to meeting manager. His commitment to athletics and its development locally, nationally and internationally has seen him volunteer thousands of hours in various key positions. He was President of the Canterbury Athletics Centre, President of Athletics New Zealand, and Committee Member of the ANZ Officials Association. He qualified as a World Athletics International Technical Official in 2005, and has supported five Commonwealth Games, eight World Athletics Championships, three Paralympic Games, six World Para Athletics Championships, the Sydney and Tokyo Olympics, and Singapore and Buenos Aires Youth Olympics. As a member of the World Athletics Competition Commission, he advised the World Athletics Council on the development of athletic events worldwide from 2015 to 2023. He played a crucial role in establishing an interim athletics facility at Rāwhiti Domain after the Canterbury earthquakes, as well as the development of the new track at Ngā Puna Wai. As a World Athletics technical official lecturer, he continues to support the development of aspiring technical officials across New Zealand and the Pacific. He has been a member of the Oceania Athletics Association Council since 2007.

Joining the already announced team of 12 are Nina Chalmers (ACA), Poppy Healy (Whippets), and Zara Pomfret (ACA), bringing New Zealand’s currently selected contingent for the biennial championships to 15, matching the team of 15 who competed at the previous edition in Lima in 2024.

Nina Chalmers earned selection in the 3000m, holding a personal best of 9:22.80 from March 2026. Chalmers earned bronze medals in the 2026 NZ Track and Field Championships in the U20 800m and 1500m. Nina will join Scarlett Robb in the 3000m as the two selected Kiwis in the event.

2025 Oceania Cup representative Zara Pomfret earns her spot in the NZ team in the 1500m. Pomfret won bronze over the distance at the Oceania Cup in Tonga and will now step onto the global stage in Eugene. She will also join Scarlett Robb in the 1500m, with Robb selected in both the 1500m and 3000m for the Championships.

Wellingtonian Poppy Healy represented New Zealand at the 2026 World Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee, Florida, racing in the U20 6km. Healy is currently running in the NCAA system, where she represents Butler University. She earned selection in the 800m, where she will join Boh Ritchie on the start line.

Congratulations to the three additional athletes selected to compete in Eugene. The Championships will be held at Hayward Field, Eugene, Oregon from 5–9 August 2026.

The NZ Team for the 2026 World Athletics Championships.

New Selections

Nina Chalmers – 3000m Coach: Phil Clode
Poppy Healy – 800m Coach: Matt Rowe
Zara Pomfret – 1500m Coach: Graeme Holden

Previously Selected

Kendra Scally-Tu’i – 100m & 200m Coach: Gary Henley-Smith
Madeleine Waddell – 400m Coach: Sonia Waddell
Boh Ritchie – 800m Coach: Ryan Foster
Scarlett Robb – 1500m & 3000m Coach: Graeme Holden
Bronwen Rees-Jones – 3000m Steeplechase Coach: Steve Rees-Jones
Karmen Maritz  – Shot Put & Discus Coach: Mike Schofield
Sam Ruthe – 1500m Coach: Craig Kirkwood
Joe Martin – 800m Coach: Ian Moini
George Wyllie – 1500m Coach: Mia Forster
Conall McLean – 800m Coach: Hamish Meacham
Manaia Christiansen – Shot Put Coach: John Eden
Austin McDougall – Shot Put & Discus Coach: Mike Schofield

Notes:
Under clause 8.7 additional athletes can be added to the team in one or more Additional Selection Announcements up to 14 June 2026, before the final selection announcement on 22 June 2026.

The 2027 NZ Track and Field Championships will once again be staged at West Auckland’s The Trust Arena. The championships will see New Zealand’s top track and field athletes compete for national titles over four action-packed days of athletics.

The 2026 edition saw record entry numbers, with over 800 athletes competing over four championship grades.

Track Stars also returns for its second year, in partnership with TVNZ. Bringing top-class Kiwi track and field action alongside celebrity athletics showdowns live and free to TVNZ 1 from 7 PM on Saturday, the 13th of March 2027. 

A Draft untimed programme and entry information will be available later in 2026.
Spectator tickets will be available for sale later in 2026.

A new chapter in New Zealand Athletics is written as the team makes history as the first New Zealand team to compete at these championships. The team will contest the mixed 4x100m relay, an event making its second appearance at this year’s World Athletics Relays. The event runs a fixed format of man, woman, man, woman.

The selected team comprises Zoe Hobbs, Tiaan Whelpton, Brooke Somerfield, Lex Revell-Lewis, Jorja Gibbons and Hayato Yoneto. They’re supported by a travelling squad of Georgia Hulls, Shay Veitch, and Samantha Lathwood. 

World Athletics regulations permit six athletes to be entered into the relay, with the competing team of four to be determined in the build-up to the championships. 

New Zealand secured their qualification mark on the 4th April at Mt Smart Stadium when Tiaan Whelpton, Brooke Somerfield, Lex Revell-Lewis and Zoe Hobbs ran 41.30, landing equal 11th on the World Athletics rankings and booking their place at the 8th edition of the championships.

Zoe Hobbs, Oceania’s fastest woman and the holder of both the New Zealand and Oceania 100m records, headlines the team. Hobbs is fresh off her third World Athletics Indoor Championships campaign, where she finished 10th in the world. An excited Hobbs brings the firepower on the final leg, and deep international campaign experience.

“It’s an exciting opportunity to be part of this team heading to Gaborone. I had a lot of fun being involved over the weekend with the last push to secure the mixed teams’ place in the rankings. I’m really looking forward to seeing what we can do, having wrapped up 11th equal after the close of the weekend. I know I’ve got room to improve too — especially with a bit more exchange practice and refining my take-off distance with leg 3 for the receive.” Said Hobbs.

“It’s also really special to see a few of the team earn their first black singlet. Especially Brooke, someone I’ve grown up alongside in the sport and seeing her reach this senior milestone, along with Hayato, Shay, and Jorja, Georgia and Samantha.”

Alongside Hobbs, Brooke Somerfield is set to make her NZ senior team debut after representing New Zealand at a slew of junior teams over her career. Somerfield arrives in superb form after claiming the 2026 New Zealand 200m title and taking silver in the 100m. 

Somerfield was thrilled to confirm her spot in the team, “I’m incredibly proud to be named in my first senior major team, it’s a huge milestone in my career. I’m excited for the opportunity and looking forward to being a part of a really competitive relay squad” 

Rising talent Jorja Gibbons also earns a spot on her first senior team as the 20-year-old celebrates her birthday today with this selection. 

On the men’s side, Tiaan Whelpton, the New Zealand Residents 100m record holder, and Lex Revell-Lewis, who holds the New Zealand 400m record, give the team a combination of raw speed and international experience. Both men are in record-breaking form, with Lex recently breaking his own 400m mark, and Whelpton equalling his 10.10s best this season. Hayato Yoneto completes the men’s trio, having lined up for New Zealand previously at the Oceania Athletics Championships in 2024. 

The travelling squad adds further firepower. Georgia Hulls, who sits second on the New Zealand all-time 200m list and is a two-time world championships representative and Shay Veitch, who sits second on the New Zealand all-time long jump list. Samantha Lathwood completes the wider travelling squad as the youngest member of the team with a silver medal in the NZ 200m championships behind Somerfield to her name. 

“This is a great step forward for our sport. The fact that this initiative has been self‑driven and self‑funded speaks volumes about the commitment of the athletes and coaches involved. We’re proud to support it and excited to see what this team can achieve.” Athletics New Zealand Chief Executive, Cam Mitchell.

The team will travel to Potchefstroom, South Africa, for a pre-camp ahead of the World Athletics Relays before heading up to Gararone, Botswana, for the championships. 

The team will compete in the mixed 4x100m heats on the 2nd of May and either the B-final or the championships final on the 3rd of May, pending successful progressions. The top 12 teams, comprised of the 8 finalists and the top 4 in the B-final, will earn qualification to the 2027 World Athletics Championships in Beijing, China. 

The Team for the 2026 World Athletics Relays
Women: 

Zoe Hobbs (Coach: James Mortimer / Matt Dallow) 
Brooke Somerfield (Coach: Gary Henley-Smith) 
Jorja Gibbons (Coach: Megan Gibbons)

Men: 

Tiaan Whelpton (Coach: Angus Ross)
Lex Revell-Lewis (Coach: Nuree Greenhalgh) 
Hayato Yoneto (Coach: Joe Hunter)

Travelling Squad Members: 

Georgia Hulls (Coach: Andrew Iselin)
Shay Veitch (Coach: Michael Beable / Angus Ross)
Samantha Lathwood (Coach: Nuree Greenhalgh) 

Management
Sonia Waddell – Team Lead
Rob Waddell – Team Management
Samantha Celliers – Team Physio 

Tom Walsh earned a seventh world indoor medal winning gold in the men’s shot put.

The 34-year-old – who also won world indoor titles in 2016, 2018 and 2025 – now owns more world indoor medals than any male athlete in history.

USA’s Jordan Geist took an early lead with his opening effort of 21.64m. He followed it with several big throws, some close to 22 metres, but they were fouls. Walsh, meanwhile, improved steadily throughout the competition, opening with 20.59m before improving to 21.21m in round two and 21.28m in round four.

The defending champion took the lead in round five with his effort of 21.66m. USA’s Roger Steen produced his best mark in the final round, consolidating his third place with 21.49m, then Geist rounded out his series with 21.38m.

With the title secured, Walsh saved his best for last and hurled his shot out to a season’s best of 21.82m.

“My whole career started in Poland with bronze at the 2014 world indoors in Sopot,” said Walsh, who also won a bronze in 2014 and 2022 and a silver in 2024 to go with his four golds.

“If you told me then that I would still be here winning medals at every edition since then I would tell you were dreaming.

“It is great to see I can still do it against the younger guys.”

Walsh, who was also crowned world outdoor champion in London in 2017, added: “My goal for today was to throw 22m and win a medal. I did not quite get to 22 but I won gold so it is pretty good.

“I was glad I was able to build things up as the competition went on. Throwing last when you know you have won sometimes saps the energy out of you but, at other times, it can give you a boost, and that happened for me today.”

Imogen Ayris added a second medal on the day for New Zealand with bronze in the women’s pole vault.

Ayris was among nine women, including Eliza McCartney to clear 4.70m – record depth for an indoor competition, and a standard only previously achieved at the 2024 Olympics.

The bar moved to 4.80m and Tina Sutej and Molly Caudery were over on their first attempts. The seven other women who remained in the contest at that height were unsuccessful in their attempts to clear it, and it meant that bronze was shared by Switzerland’s Angelica Moser, Czechia’s Amalie Svabikova and Ayris.

New Zealand indoor records were set by Tiaan Whelpton in the 60 metres, and Lex Revell-Lewis in the 400m.

For any enquiries regarding the 2026 WARs and/or the selection policy, please contact Tessa Hunt.

Click here to view the Athletics NZ Selection Policy
Click here to view the Competition Website

Team Update: The following athletes were selected to the NZ team for the 2026 Oceania Area Championships after the initial selection announcement.

Senior Women
Caitlin Shepperson – Hammer
Cleo Loader – Long Jump
Jetta McKenzie – 100 Hurdles
Krystal Clark – 800m
Ruby Jones – Discus
Samantha Korck – 800m

Senior Men
Asher Robertson – 400mH 
Bohdi Trevor-Smith – Discus
Hector O’Rourke – Discus
Justin Menezes – 400mH
Ryan Young – Triple Jump
Rylan Noome – 100m
Toby Gualter – 5000m

U18 Women
Sina-Maria Su’a – Shot Put Discus

U18 Men
Ethan Mora – 3000m

The original article continues below

Athletics New Zealand is pleased to announce the selection of 157 athletes for the 2026 Oceania Area Championships to be held in Darwin, Australia. This is the largest team Athletics New Zealand has ever selected, featuring athletes competing across U18, Senior and Para categories.

The championships will be held at Arafura Stadium, Darwin, Australia, from the 18th to the 23rd of May 2026. The area championships are held every two years and provide crucial global rankings points for senior athletes and valuable international competition experience for our emerging athletes.

Leading the team is a strong contingent of experienced international athletes. Four global Para medallists headline the 22-strong group of Para athletes. World champion and world record holder, Danielle Aitchison, lines up for her favoured sprint double over the 100m and 200m. World Champion Lisa Adams and global medallist, Holly Robinson, are both set to throw in the women’s Para shot put. Robinson has also been selected to compete in the open women’s shot put, alongside her Para event.

“We’re really proud to have a 22-strong group of Para athletes heading to the Oceania Championships. The mix of experience in this team shows the depth of our Para pathways, and it’s exciting to see our next generation coming through alongside seasoned international campaigners. It’s a special opportunity for our emerging athletes to learn from leaders in our programme like Holly Robinson, Lisa Adams, and Danielle Aitchison.

It’s also a significant moment for the eight Para athletes who will be seeking international classification in Darwin. This is an important step in their journey toward future international representation and competition.”

Raylene Bates – Athletics NZ Para Lead

New Zealand’s senior group heading to the Oceania Championships is headlined by a wealth of international experience. Sprint star Zoe Hobbs, the fastest woman in Oceania and the first from the region to break 11 seconds for 100m, arrives off a string of major championship appearances, and having just secured her 10th national 100m title.

In the throws, national javelin record holder Tori Moorby adds real firepower, having represented New Zealand at both the 2024 Olympics and the 2025 World Championships and delivering multiple Diamond League podiums across recent seasons. She’s joined in the throws arena by Lauren Bruce, who’s back in top form in 2026. Bruce has been knocking off multiple 70m+ throws this season already; she’ll be looking to extend that mark in Darwin.

In the shot put circle, Jacko Gill brings deep global experience as a multiple‑time World Championships finalist and Olympic top‑eight performer. Rising alongside him is Nick Palmer, who made his senior World Championships debut in 2025.

On the track, middle‑distance specialist Sam Tanner remains one of New Zealand’s most consistent performers, lining up in the 1500m at the Oceania Champs for the first time since Mackay in 2022. Fellow middle-distance runner Brad Mathas adds further experience as a multiple‑time national champion and the 2022 Oceania 800m champion.

Completing the senior contingent is triple jump star Ethan Olivier, New Zealand’s national record holder and the 2024 World U20 champion, who made his Olympic debut in Paris and has continued to impress on the Diamond League circuit and at the 2025 World Championships.

The New Zealand contingent is also made up of a strong under-18 contingent, for some of whom it will be their first taste of international competition. With the World Athletics Under 20 Championships set to take place in September, the Oceania Athletics Championships will be a crucial stepping stone for some standout athletes towards competing in Eugene.

Connor Brady stands out as one of the most versatile performers in the age group, lining up in the shot put, discus, 110m hurdles and javelin. Joining him on the track is Rianco Haggard, who takes on the short and long hurdles double of the 400m hurdles and the 110m hurdles

On the women’s side, the throws are bolstered by Fernanda Tirado and Paige Fletcher, a pair of emerging talents contesting both the shot put and hammer throw. In the jumps, Casey Day adds real excitement with her long jump and triple jump double, while Abby O’Boyle takes on a middle-distance double, competing in the 2000m steeplechase alongside the 800m. Rounding out the group is Phoebe Laker, who shows her sprinting range in the 200m and 400m. With dozens of other U18 athletes fast rising through the athletics ranks, this group reflects the depth in the U18 ranks and the growing diversity of talent across the event groups.

How to follow the 2026 Oceania Athletics Championships
You can follow along live via the Oceania Athletics livestream; availability, times and sessions are being confirmed currently.
Live results, start lists, and final programme will be available closer to the competition.
View more event information here.

If a selected athlete withdraws after today’s selection, Athletics New Zealand will endeavour to select a replacement athlete. This will be at the discretion of the Athletics New Zealand selectors for the 2026 Oceania Athletics Championships.

The New Zealand Team for the 2026 Oceania Athletics Championships

Senior Women

Senior Men

Men’s & Women’s Para

Under 18 Women

Under 18 Men

Team Support, Coaches, & Management

Reigning world indoor champion Tom Walsh is joined by history‑maker Geordie Beamish, who recently became New Zealand’s first‑ever world champion on the track after winning the 3000m steeplechase at the 2025 World Athletics Championships.

Olympic medallist Eliza McCartney also returns to global indoor competition after collecting silver at the 2024 World Indoors in Glasgow. She heads to Poland in strong form, having won the New Zealand title with a 4.81m clearance, higher than the 4.80m that won her indoor silver last year.

Sprint star Zoe Hobbs is set for another tilt at the women’s 60m after an unforgettable 2024 World Indoors, where she twice broke the Oceania record and finished fourth in a blistering 7.06.

Tiaan Whelpton joins her in the 60m after another season of consistent progress, including equalling his NZ resident’s record over the 100m at the 2026 Sir Graeme Douglas International of 10.10s.

In the pole vault, Imogen Ayris completes the Kiwi duo and travels to Poland following a strong indoor campaign highlighted by a 4.76m personal best and consistent clearances at 4.70m.

Middle‑distance athlete Alison Andrews‑Paul returns for her second World Indoors in the women’s 800m. She is joined by debutants Boh Ritchie (women’s 800m), James Harding (men’s 800m), and Thomas Cowan (men’s 800m). Harding and Cowan have traded the New Zealand indoor record this season, with Harding currently holding the mark at 1:46.44, set in February in Fayetteville, AR, USA.

The 400m squad features national record holder Lex Revell‑Lewis and New Zealand indoor record holder Annalies Kalma, who further sharpened her form by lowering her indoor mark to 51.81 this season. The indoor 400m, with athletes merging to lane one after approximately 170 metres, is one of the most tactical and unpredictable events on the programme.

Thrower Tapenisa Havea rounds out the team, earning her senior championship debut in the women’s shot put. Competing for the University of Arizona, Havea previously finished fourth in the shot put and seventh in the discus at the 2022 World Athletics U20 Championships.

New Zealand’s depth in the women’s pole vault is underscored by Olivia McTaggart also achieving the automatic qualifying standard of 4.70m. She has been named as a non‑travelling reserve for Toruń.

New Zealand Team – 2026 World Athletics Indoor Championships

Men
Tom Walsh Shot Put (Coach: Hayden Hall)
Geordie Beamish 3000m (Coach: Dathan Ritzenhein)
Tiaan Whelpton 60m (Coach: Angus Ross)
James Harding 800m (Coach: Jerry Schumacher)
Thomas Cowan 800m (Coach: Jon Molz)
Lex Revell‑Lewis 400m (Coach: Nuree Greenhalgh)

Women
Zoe Hobbs 60m (Coach: James Mortimer)
Eliza McCartney Pole Vault (Coach: Scott Simpson)
Imogen Ayris Pole Vault (Coach: Scott Simpson)
Alison Andrews‑Paul 800m (Coach: Brit Townsend)
Boh Ritchie 800m (Coach: Ryan Foster)
Annalies Kalma 400m (Coach: Shantel Twiggs)
Tapenisa Havea Shot Put (Coach: Lucais Mackay)

Reserve (Non‑travelling)
Olivia McTaggart Pole Vault (Coach: Kate Rooney, Scott Simpson)

Event information

Dates: 20–22 March 2026
Location: Kujawsko‑Pomorska Arena, Toruń, Poland
Event: World Athletics Indoor Championships

How to follow

New Zealand fans can watch live and free on World Athletics+ from 20–22 March (free with account registration).

Follow Athletics New Zealand on social media for results, updates, and behind‑the‑scenes coverage.

Additional Athletes
The following athletes were eligible for selection but have elected to focus on preparations for the 2026 international season: Sam Ruthe, Sam Tanner, James Preston, Hamish Kerr, Maddi Wesche, Rosa Twyford and Jacko Gill.