It is fair to say Lauren Bruce’s coach was a little more excited than his athlete as the young Cantab set a New Zealand and Oceania record for the women’s hammer throw at the first event on her Olympic buildup campaign.
The 24-year-old threw 74.61 metres to win the Tucson Elite Classic in Arizona and reclaim the national record that Julia Ratcliffe took off her at the New Zealand championships in Hastings in late March. It was the perfect start as she heads for her first international assignment at the senior level.
Fellow Canterbury squad athlete Tom Walsh was not quite so successful as he came in well behind Olympic champion Ryan Crouser in the men’s shot put. The American fired out a massive 22.60m to leave his Kiwi rival in his dust, with Walsh managing a best of 21.71m – 8cm shy of his season’s best.
For Bruce, looking to sharpen up for some high-end European competition ahead, the Tucson meet represented an ideal first step along the pathway that will end at the Tokyo Games.
“There were definitely a few nerves coming into today but we knew I was in shape and I was able to trust that,” she said of her record-breaking day in Arizona. “I’m really happy to have thrown a PB at my first competition back.
“It was great to be back out competing internationally under pressure, and test what we’ve built during the last few months.”
Coach Dale Stevenson, back in Christchurch, was decidedly more upbeat about Bruce’s achievement.
“She’s definitely not content to be in the shadows of Tom and Val [Adams],” he told Stuff, referring to Bruce’s more celebrated Christchurch squadmates. “Lauren has no idea how good she can be, but this might give her a small hint.
“With some time and more experience against the best girls in the world, she will be dangerous in Tokyo.”
The Cantab, like Walsh from Timaru originally, achieved the mark in the second round in Tucson, surpassing the Oceania and national record of 73.55m set just two months earlier by Kiwi rival Julia Ratcliffe at the national championships in Hastings where the Waikato athlete also qualified for the Olympics.
Bruce’s big breakthrough had come last September when she added over 5m to her PB to send the hammer out to a then Oceania and national record 73.47m in Hastings, and surpass the Tokyo qualifying standard.
The 74.61m throw, which would have been good enough for a medal in Rio, elevates Bruce to sixth on the 2021 global rankings, led by America’s world champion Deanna Price, whose season’s best is 78.60m.
Bruce had a solid series that also included 72.02m in round 3 and 72.35m in round 4. American Annette Echikunwoke was second with a best throw of 73.93m.
Walsh and Bruce will compete again in Tucson on Sunday (NZT).
