Willis shakes off rust at Twilights

by Jamie Troughton | 2nd January 2010

Nick Willis made a long-awaited return to the track last night as he added a touch of star quality to the annual Tauranga Twilight athletics meet.

The soon-to-be-awarded Olympic 1500m silver medalist eased to victory in the 800m and the 3000m in the late evening sunshine, just glad to be back racing after undergoing hip surgery last year.

"I wasn't worried about times at all - it's basically been a year since I raced, which is the longest break I've had since I was four years old," Willis said.

"There were a little bit of nerves but it was great to get back into the routine of competing, put spikes back on and get the feel of racing."

The 26-year-old entered late and enjoyed the low-key nature of the event. He clocked 1:54.56 in the 800m, out-kicking Waiuku's Michael Whitehead in the straight, then out-paced a strong 3000m field to win in 8:28.12.

He'll race a couple more centre events in Wellington before heading to his United States base in three weeks, where he'll prepare for a busy year, including the IAAF's new diamond league and the defence of his Commonwealth Games gold medal.

He's also looking forward to getting his hands on his Olympic silver medal - while he finished third in Beijing, Bahrain's Rashid Ramzi was stripped of his 1500m gold for doping.

Though nothing official has come through, Mehdi Baala of France has already been presented with his bronze.

"The NZOC [New Zealand Olympic Committee] is on vacation at the moment so I assume their phones have probably been ringing in the offices and they haven't been able to get through.

"That's totally fine with me - if they're actually giving Mehdi Baala his medal, that means they would have announced mine as well."

Last night's 3000m field included American cousins Macklin and Cary Chaffee, who finished second and fifth respectively, with Auckland's Malcolm Hicks third and Tauranga's Ben Ruthe a gutsy fourth.

But Willis, despite the rust, was in a class of his own.

"I feel the strongest I've ever felt on January 1 in my life. That strength still has to translate into speed and results on the track but the most important bit of the foundation is there. Now I've just got to put some more specific motor mechanics into motion to get the feeling of racing fast again."

Other highlights of the Twilight meet included Tauranga 17-year-old Joseph Millar's slick treble, winning the 100m, 200m and 400m titles.

His 48.65 400m time was a personal best, breaking the 49.53 mark he set just three weeks ago. He battled a head-wind in the shorter sprints, clocking 11.14 in the 100m, beating Te Awamutu's Phil Simms (11.69) and Tauranga Ramblers teammate Jonathon Morton (11.74).

Another Tauranga athlete, Michael Cochrane, likewise battled the head-wind in the 110m hurdles, finishing in 14.71 and missing out on a chance to set a qualifying mark for the world junior championships. He also picked up the high-jump (1.85m) and long-jump (6.12m) titles.

Tauranga Boys' College 15-year-old Michael Sutton romped to an impressive victory in the second 3000m, holding off evergreen masters star Colin Earwaker.

Mariah Ririnui was disqualified for false-starting in the 100m and had to bow to North Harbour's Madison Gipson in the 200m.