Brent Newdick
14TH IAAF World Athletic Championships, Moscow – 10/18 August 2013
Brent Newdick placed 23rd in the Decathlon with a total of 7744 points
11 August: It was a job quickly done for Valerie Adams in qualifying for the final of the women’s shot put. In the first attempt Adams effortlessly sent the 4kg ball of steel out to 19.89m. It was then a pack up and an exit from the Stadium, not stopping for any interviews through the mixed zone.
Adams is now poised to become the only woman to have won four world titles outdoors which would give her a decent claim to being the discipline’s greatest exponent ever. The final is tomorrow at 8.25pm (4.25am Tuesday NZ time).
Adams had two warm up throws both well over the qualifying standard of 18.70m. It was then a quick chat with her coach nine times Swiss shot put champion Jean-Pierre Egger across the track before sitting down to await her turn as number 12 to throw in group A.
10 August: After an excellent build up to the world athletic championships it was an extremely disappointed Mary Davies as she battled to finish the marathon course.
The 30 year old former hockey player finished 37th in 2h 51m 24s, 22 minutes outside her personal best. Davies said that she had been troubled with sore left side of her abdomen.
“All this week I’ve had some kind of stomach problem and I got to 5km and I just couldn’t breath – I felt like I was breathing through a straw for the whole time,” said Davies.
The rest of her body felt fine.
“I’ve had the physio trying to get it right and I thought I was okay but I just couldn’t breath. I felt like stopping and drop out but I guess I did finish. I’m just disappointed,” she added.
Davies said that her coach Ian Babe had done a good job.
“I just couldn’t do it today,” said an emotional Davies.
Davies was 20th at 5km in 17m 16s, 30th at 10km in 35m 40s and by 35km was 39th and 36th at 40km.
Meanwhile Jake Robertson withdrew from the 10,000m after running 15 laps.
Brent Newdick placed 23rd in the Decathlon with a total of 7744 points.
The highlight for Newdick came in the high jump where he soared over at a personal best height of 2.02m.
“It’s always good to get a PB. Things went well all the way up to the warm up. I was confident I could jump well and gave it a good shot, I came up to 1.99m to equal my PB and made sure I really nailed that properly and gave me confidence to have a crack at that 2.02m and cleaned that up. I actually had a good crack at 2.05m as well,” said Newdick.
After just four weeks training the 28 year old was pleased with his 100m of 11.14s.
“I would have loved to have four more weeks and things might have been a lot flasher,” he said.
In the long jump a quick correction to his run up and he got a jump in, in the second round.
“7.28m I’ve had worse before so I wasn’t unhappy, there’s plenty more there,” said Newdick.
His recent oesteitis pubis bone edema injury affected the shot put where he was out to 13.84m.
“Being the rotation method I was affected and it also showed a lack of technical training.”
Again four weeks training put him a second up in the 400m over a recent performance running from lane eight in 50.25s.
“I’m still healthy that’s the main thing. The main goal this weekend is to get through the whole decathlon healthy with as many points on the board as possible,” said Newdick. His performances:
Newdick maintained his 20th position with a solid performance in the opening event on day two, the 110m hurdles, in 15.19s (-0.2) for 827 points. After six events Newdick sat on 4882 points.
He fouled his first throw in the discus, but was out to 41.22m in round two and improved to 42.49m (715 points) in his final attempt. He held 20th place with his total after seven events of 5597.
In the pole vault the three times New Zealand pole vault champion was successful at his first attempt at 4.30m and passed at 4.40m. He missed first up at 4.50m, but easily cleared at his second attempt. Newdick passed at 4.60m and came back in with the bar at 4.70m failing to clear in his three attempts at this height. For his 4.50m he received 760 points for a total of 6357 to remain in 20th position.
Into the penulimate event the javelin throw and Newdick who has a personal best of 64.09m and a season’s best of 59.18m was out to 54.37m improving to 57.30m in round two. His final throw was 56.90m. He gained 697 points taking his total to 7054 and dropping to 23rd overall.
The final discipline the 1500m was run in 4m 38.54s by Newdick giving him 690 points and a final score of 7744, his 15th best tally, for 23rd place. Ironically he was 23rd at the 2009 world championships and he was 19th at the 2011 world championships.
“That’s good I’ve qualified for the Commonwealth Games,” was Newdick’s reaction on hearing his final score.
“I would have liked a little bit better, but the goal was to qualify for the Commonwealth Games so that’s out of the way now so it means there’s no pressure on next year. There is always positives in everything,” said Newdick.
The weekend however was not without its negatives as Newdick explained.
“There must have been something going around our camp, I had this horrible little tummy bug, it never affected me physically and not even mentally but it’s just been a hassle all weekend, so I think it just dragged some of the energy – I was zapped,” he said.
“But it’s hot out there and it’s the decathlon – who knows what it was, but it made it just hard work.”
He later said that it may have been the result of something he had eaten at the hotel.
“Everything was just off so if you take 20 points off everything you are back on PB form,” he said.
“I’ve only had four weeks training, who would have thought six weeks ago that I’d be here competing.”
The Commonwealth Games silver medallist said the high jump personal best on day one was the result of shedding body weight when he was laid off injured for four months.
“I’m four or five kilos lighter and with a lighter body weight the high jump is an easier event to do.”
So it’s back to the training for the Commonwealth Games next year and a goal he has of 8300 points.
His performances: Day 1 100m 11.14s (-0.5) 830, long jump 7.28m (+0.3) 881, shot put 13.84m 719, high jump 2.02m PB 822, 400m 50.25s 803, total 4055 20th.
Day 2 110m hurdles 15.19s (-0.2) 827, discus throw 42.49m 715, pole vault 4.50m 760, javelin throw 57.30m 697, 1500m 4m 38.54s 690; total 7744 23.
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