Category: Sport

Source: Radio New Zealand

Kiwi speedster Zoe Hobbs has shown her readiness for a full international programme, cracking the still respectable 11-second mark over 100m at the Sir Graeme Douglas International in Auckland.

Running with the benefit of an excessive tailwind, Hobbs tore down the backstraight in 10.99s to punctuate a day that also saw her qualifying for the world indoor championships over 60m.

With winds fluctuating in direction throughout the evening, she recorded her 7.18s into a similar headwind to the one that later carried her home over the longer distance.

“Great day at the office,” Hobbs agreed. “Most of my focus has been around the 60, so to have a 10 in front of the number over 100 is a bonus.

“Even though it’s an illegal wind, I’ll take that.”

The Kiwi sprinters have been somewhat plagued by weather and winds so far this summer, with headwinds at the Potts Classic in Hastings and massive tailwinds at the Cooks Classic at Whanganui.

In the end, the West Auckland winds probably cancelled themselves out sufficiently to produce ideal results all round.

“I really needed to get the weight off my shoulder with that qualifier and the first two comps if the season have unfortunately been cold ones,” Hobbs said. “The conditions haven’t been the best, but I knew today I really had to take advantage of the warm weather.

“It was nice not to run in tights today and to actually run in proper comp kit. It felt good to be at a home meet as well, with family here and the comfort of staying at home.”

Hobbs has twice reached the world indoor final over the shorter distance and has now booked her ticket to Poland in March.

Another to check that off his priority list was male counterpart Tiaan Whelpton, who was hampered by the same headwind over 60m, but nailed his qualifier en route to a 10.10s meet record over 100m.

Unlike Hobbs, his time over the longer distance was a personal best, matching his time at the same venue last year.

“Big shout out to the officials for setting that up for us, so we could get a 60 split in the 100,” Whelpton said. “Unfortunately, we had a headwind in the 60 and 6.63s was still pretty good, but I knew there was more in the tank and the 100 metres absolutely produced that.

“That 6.55s with a legal wind should stamp my ticket to Poland for my third world indoor campaign, which I’m very excited for.”

Whelpton clocked 10.02s over 100m at Whanganui with a massive wind at his back that ruled out what would have been a national record, but he’s sure Eddie Oseai-Nketia’s 10.08s mark is not far away under the right conditions.

Another to master the swirling winds was pole vaulter Eliza McCartney, who cleared 4.63m on her third attempt to prove she’s in great physical and mental shape.

She needed three attempts to achieve her opening height of 4.30m, squirmed over 4.50m on her second, but stayed in the game to soar over 4.63m, before calling it quits, after one miss at 4.70m.

“Things have been tracking really, really well over the last few months, so to have good conditions today made it really easy,” she said.

“It was challenging, but certainly not the most challenging you have to deal with in pole vault. When it moves around a bit, it’s tricky to get your marks right and you can imagine, when you’re carrying a long pole, it’s getting blown around and doesn’t help your run either.”

McCartney’s career has been plagued with injury and illness, but she’s buoyed by this performance and will now reconsider her next move, with world indoors also her most immediate goal.

She’s keenly aware that training partners Olivia McTaggart and Imogen Ayris are in top form on the European indoor circuit, she’s now considering bypassing the rest of the NZ summer to chase more benign conditions under the roof.

Shot putter Tom Walsh also hopes to defend his world indoor title next month and declared himself pleased with his 20.80m winning effort in his first competition of the year.

“There were a lot of good things,” he assessed. “Things seemed to work easily – I’ve tried a lot harder and thrown about the same, especially early in the season.

“I haven’t been this strong all round this early in the season. Yes, my squat’s been better or my bench has been better, but not all together.

“All the numbers are better than they’ve ever been together, so we’re ready to go.”

Elsewhere around the stadium, Rosa Twyford ran a big personal best 4m 14.10s over 1500 metres, while Lex Revell-Lewis could not hold off the challenge of Danish champion Gustav Lundholm Nielsen over 400 metres, clocking 46.64s.

Whelpton returned to the track for an attempt on the national 4×100 metres mixed relay, but while his team clocked 43.04s, they ran out of their zone on the last change and were disqualified.

“To know we can run that time with a couple of sloppy changes tells me we can shave off another half a second and that would put us top 10 in the world,” he reflected.

“Absolutely, we’re going to keep working on it – the relay’s a major focus for me. I see it as an awesome opportunity to represent New Zealand on the world stage.”

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

New Zealand have advanced to the next round of tennis’ Davis Cup with a remarkable victory in their tie against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Whangārei.

The New Zealanders were staring defeat in the face after Anton Shepp and James Watt lost their opening singles matches on Saturday.

But they were revived by an inspiring effort from Ajeet Rai and Finn Reynolds in the doubles today. They played assured tennis to shut out Tomislav Brkic and Vladan Tadic 6-2 6-1.

The Kiwis still needed to win both reverse singles, but Watt and Shepp lifted their efforts in dramatic fashion.

Watt beat Andrej Nedic 6-3 7-6, taking the match in a tiebreak despite struggling physically.

“I felt like I let the crowd down yesterday,” Watt said in his on-court interview.

“I was cramping in that tiebreak, but I wanted to put my body on the line for my country.”

Then Shepp kept the Whangārei crowd cheering by taking the first set off Mirza Basic, 6-2. Shepp was up 5-2 in the second set but the 34-year-old Basic broke Shepp’s serve and then got back to 5-4 and had Shepp in trouble on his serve again at 15-40 before Shepp fought back.

He thumped successive aces to take the match and the tie and give New Zealand coach Artem Sitak one huge 40th birthday present.

The team rushed to embrace the 23-year-old Shepp, who told the crowd he was very proud of his team-mates.

“We had a big task today coming back from two-zero. Credit to all the lads, we put on a really big performance,” he said on the Sky Sport broadcast.

“Honoured to be here. This is my debut so thank you very much for making me feel so welcome.”

New Zealand now progresses to the second round, which will be held after the US Open in September. The draw has not been done yet, so they don’t know yet who their opponents will be.

The next round will be in September, with the draw yet to be made.

If they win their second round match, they make the final eight teams, plus the wildcard of Italy.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Follow all the cricket acton, as the Black Caps take on Afghanistan at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai for their first match of the T20 World Cup.

The 10th edition of the ICC T20 Cricket World Cup runs from 7 February to 8 March.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Fan-centric, fan first – whatever you want to call it, that’s the buzzword around rugby ever since people started rightfully noticing that there were more than a few empty seats at Super Rugby Pacific games. With the season set to start next weekend, new Blues CEO Karl Budge is on a mission to change that. Although he says that simply because Eden Park isn’t packing out like it did in the 90s, it doesn’t mean people aren’t interested.

“The reality is more people watch Super Rugby than any other rugby competition or any other sports competition in New Zealand,” said Budge, pointing to Sky TV’s broadcast figures from last year. They showed overall growth on 2024’s Super Rugby Pacific audience, including a 15 percent increase for the final between the Crusaders and Chiefs.

“That is the cold, hard evidence. That’s not opinion.”

TV audiences are one thing. Eden Park without an All Black test is another.

Budge comes into the task of attempting to fill the country’s largest stadium with a fair degree of confidence. For nine years he was the CEO of the ASB Classic, turning it from a tune-up event into one of the most well-regarded tournaments for fan experience on the tennis calendar. His view is, somewhat ironically given the obsession with tinkering with rugby’s rules to deliver a faster game, is that whatever happens on the field shouldn’t be the main focus.

“The ASB Classic went from 16,000 people through the gates when I started to 105,000 in my final year. I don’t think we got any more tennis fans.”

Still, Budge admits that there’s no magic bullet to fill seats during Super Rugby Pacific.

“I certainly don’t have the answers yet. I’ve got a lot of listening and learning to do. I think our job as administrators, particularly with this young wave of people coming through, is to stop putting barriers up and go back to doing what rugby was about bringing communities together. 58 percent of people in Auckland weren’t born here, how do we how do we give this a place for them to see pride in their new home?”

Then there’s traditional fans, who Budge says will be part of the balancing act of making sure new fans are catered for.

“We don’t want to alienate traditional fans. But what we need to do is do their favourite thing with sprinkles on top.”

The last time the Blues filled Eden Park was when they won the 2024 final against the Chiefs. So while it’s easy to think that success will solve things, it’s worth remembering one other Auckland team that is offering popular game day experiences hasn’t won anything in its entire existence. Still, the Warriors and latterly Auckland FC do not pose a threat, according to Budge.

“We had dinner last night, all three of us (Auckland FC CEO Nick Becker and Warriors CEO Cameron George). We get on great guns…we worked together in a lot of other capacities, a real great amount of respect from each other.

“The more people paying to attend live sport, the better it is for all of us. I do not see that we’re in competition with them.”

It’s worth noting though that filling Eden Park is a significantly bigger challenge than Mt Smart. Budge points to the fact that fans will find pretty much all the amenities at one that exist at the other, however rugby’s historic position as a cultural monolith makes knocking it the easy discourse in both traditional and social media.

“That’s probably where, as an industry, rugby’s not done enough to endear itself to fans. We’ve had a wonderful product. But I think in 2026, product is not enough. You look at the best sporting occasions around the world, the best of indications are very rarely about the core product.”

Budge says that there’s plenty to be learned outside of sports, too.

“How many people traipse halfway around the world to go to Coachella? It’s the experience, it’s the connection being part of the community, seeing yourself there. All of those things are what make those really special. The artists and the music is almost the bonus.”

“This is the first time I’ve worked in a job where we’ve had too much space. (At the ASB Classic) we were always trying to figure out how you manufacture space. We’ve got plenty of it now and I’m excited by that. I think gives us freedom to dream and look at things differently, there’s no question we need a bigger crowd than other stadiums to create an equal atmosphere.”

“But again, we can hide behind that, or we can go do something about it. We’re a city of 1.9 million people, getting to 30,000 people in a in a stadium shouldn’t be a fantasy.”

Budge’s vision is bold, but with a pragmatic edge.

“I think we have to be really open to failure,” he said.

“And frankly, if we haven’t failed, we probably haven’t gone hard enough.”

Tomorrow: Mark Robinson on the challenges facing engaging fans globally.

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

First-time Winter Olympian Dane Menzies has slipped off the podium late to finish sixth in the men’s snowboard Big Air final at Milano Cortina 2026.

One of three Kiwis in the 12-man final, Menzies, 20, sat third after the opening two runs, one of the few with consistent performances across both attempts.

The door was still wide open for those behind him to improve their standings and he was surpassed by NZ-born American Ollie Martin. Italian favourite Ian Matteoli and eventual winner Kira Kimura from Japan.

Needing a big jump to retain his medal hopes, Menzies could not control his landing, faceplanting hard into the hard snow.

“Super stoked, but pretty bummed at the same time, just to not land that last one,” he told Sky Sport. “Only up from here, so I’m happy.

“It was awesome. Definitely, everyone was pretty locked in, but it was nice to have [teammates] there to chill.

“So far, super special and realising this is a big deal. Definitely hungry for more and looking forward to the next.”

Kimura had the best jump of the opening round, but crashed on landing on his second. He responded magnificently with his third, recording the best score of the night and finishing with the two best for a comprehensive victory.

Teammate Ryoma Kimata finished second, while defending champion Yiming Su of China took the bronze medal.

American-born Kiwi Lyon Farrell was the best of the NZ contingent through the opening round, but could not replicate that performance across the second and third, finishing eighth, while Rocco Jamieson was one place back.

All three will return to competition on Tuesday, 17 February (NZT) for slopestyle qualifying.

Follow the live action here:

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

Two New Zealanders have advanced in freeski slopestyle, qualifying to keep their Winter Olympic dreams alive at Milano Cortina 2026.

Ben Barclay – who served as New Zealand’s flagbearer alongside Zoi Sadowski-Synnott at the opening ceremony – finished seventh. And defending X Games gold medalist Luca Harrington placed ninth in Italy overnight.

The top qualifier was double world champion Birk Ruud from Norway.

Defending Olympic champion Alex Hall of the United States had a bit more of an uncomfortable time to secure 8th place.

Kiwi teenager Lucas Ball finished 20th, missing out on a place in the final.

In slopestyle, athletes navigate a course with a variety of obstacles and are judged on the breadth, originality and quality of their stunts.

Barclay, who was born in Auckland and is now based in Wanaka, sounded relieved after securing his spot in next week’s final.

“Qualifying is always a lot scarier,” Barclay said. “To get through the first phase is a weight off my shoulders. It’s kind of a surreal feeling to look down at the course and say, ‘I guess we’re doing this now.'”

Norway’s Ruud, the first men’s rider of the day, executed a flawless performance and finished at the top of the pack on Saturday.

“I was just all-in on the first one,” the 25-year-old said. “I was focused as if it was my only chance. It felt awesome.”

In the women’s freeski slopestyle qualifying, New Zealand’s Ruby Star Andrews placed 17th and Sylvia Trotter 20th, both missing out on a spot in the final.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

First-time Winter Olympian Dane Menzies has slipped off the podium late to finish sixth in the men’s snowboard Big Air final at Milano Cortina 2026.

One of three Kiwis in the 12-man final, Menzies, 20, sat third after the opening two runs, one of the few with consistent performances across both attempts.

The door was still wide open for those behind him to improve their standings and he was surpassed by NZ-born American Ollie Martin. Italian favourite Ian Matteoli and eventual winner Kira Kimura from Japan.

Needing a big jump to retain his medal hopes, Menzies could not control his landing, faceplanting hard into the hard snow.

“Super stoked, but pretty bummed at the same time, just to not land that last one,” he told Sky Sport. “Only up from here, so I’m happy.

“It was awesome. Definitely, everyone was pretty locked in, but it was nice to have [teammates] there to chill.

“So far, super special and realising this is a big deal. Definitely hungry for more and looking forward to the next.”

Kimura had the best jump of the opening round, but crashed on landing on his second. He responded magnificently with his third, recording the best score of the night and finishing with the two best for a comprehensive victory.

Teammate Ryoma Kimata finished second, while defending champion Yiming Su of China took the bronze medal.

American-born Kiwi Lyon Farrell was the best of the NZ contingent through the opening round, but could not replicate that performance across the second and third, finishing eighth, while Rocco Jamieson was one place back.

All three will return to competition on Tuesday (NZT) for slopestyle qualifying.

Follow the live action here:

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

[lIveblog] https://rnz.liveblog.pro/lb-rnz/blogs/6986ba0c70efc265ee8d3bfb/index.html

New Zealand will have three athletes in the men’s Big Air snowboard final, as it chases its first medals at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics in Italy this morning.

Lyon Farrell, Rocco Jamieson and Dane Menzie all qualified inside the top 12 on Thursday (NZT), with Farrell the highest-placed in seventh. He edged teammate Jamieson (eighth), with Menzies sneaking through as the 11th qualifier.

Japanese Hiroto Ogiwara was top qualifier, followed by Italian Ian Matteoli and Japan’s Kira Kimura.

Join us at 7.30am Saturday for our live coverage.

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Source: Radio New Zealand

Auckland FC have regained the men’s A-League competition with a gutsy 1-0 win over Sydney FC on Saturday.

It was a game of drama, with Auckland bouncing back after going three matches without a win.

Coach Steve Corica had demanded more focus at the back end of their matches after they surrendered early leads in their last couple, and they showed plenty of defiance to hold on after Englishman Sam Cosgrove put them in front in the 20th minute.

It was his seventh goal of the season, and came from a melee in the Sydney goal area with Cosgrove’s left foot stab doing just enough to put his side on the scoreboard.

Cosgrove had a much better shot at goal in the 60th minute when he headed what looked likely to be a brilliant goal from a pinpoint Marlee François cross only to be denied by a flying save from Sydney goalkeeper Harrison Devenish-Meares.

The goalie produced some other great saves against a fired-up Auckland attack, but he had to bow to redeemed Auckland keeper Michael Woud who didn’t let any of Sydney’s numerous attempts through.

Woud had made costly errors in his previous two outings and only got to play after Oli Sail’s knee injury ended Sail’s season last weekend.

“We’ve been going 1-0 up a lot lately and then been conceding goals late on, so I am really pleased to get a clean sheet,” Corica told Sky Sport.

“Sometimes you have to do it the hard way, but I think that was a really good performance from our boys.”

While Auckland FC sit top of the points ladder with the win, Newcastle Jets can quickly regain it if they beat Adelaide on Sunday.

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Source: Radio New Zealand

Veteran George Bennett has won his second men’s national road cycling championship near Cambridge, with a strong attacking ride.

The 35-year-old Nelson cyclist with an impressive international CV was in tears after his victory.

“This win means a lot. I have had a really rough 18 months so this means the world. To finally win a race again – with my friends, my family, my team-mates and Bewls all here.”

Bewls is former pro cyclist Sam Bewley, director of Bennett’s NSN Cycling World Tour team, which has sprung from the controversy involving the former Israel Premier Tech team. It was the subject of pro-Palestinian protests which disrupted some major races last year. These championships were the first victory for the new team.

It was Bewley who encouraged Bennett to attack strongly. Part of a small lead group, he pushed hard with three of the 20 laps remaining and was never in danger from that point.

“I think I rode a really smart race. I picked the initial move and we rode well. It was a strong group with some really under-rated guys. We just stayed really smart,” Bennett said.

“I got the call from Bewls to open up the race early and went with 30kms to go. It is always a race within a race when you go early like that and I just had really good legs.

“Most of the time that move doesn’t work, but at least next time it doesn’t work out I can remember this one.”

Bennett won the elite men title by 41 seconds from recent Tour of Southland winner Josh Burnett, with Matthew Wilson four seconds back in third, and James Gardner close up and easily taking the under-23 crown.

It was Bennett’s second national title after he won in Cambridge five years ago.

“I am really proud to win this and take the jersey back to wear on the World Tour,” he said.

“My big target is the Tour de France this year so to be able to wear the jersey in something like that would be special. It hasn’t sunk in yet. It’s awesome.”

It was a tough race with 28 of the 71 starters failing to finish.

Ally Wollaston won the women’s road race on Friday.

Results:

Elite men, 188kms: George Bennett (NSN Cycling, Nelson) 4:09.45, 1; Josh Burnett (Burgos Burpellet BH, Invercargill) at 41s, 2; Matthew Wilson (Advanced Personnel Cycling, Auckland) at 45s, 3.

Under-23: 188kms: James Gardner (Whoosh-NZ Cycling Project, Dunedin) 4:10.43, 1; Josh Heissenbuttel (Counties Manukau) at 3:27, 2; Lewis Bower (Groupama FDJ, Auckland) at 3:40, 3.

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