Chew The F.A.T

Jack Buckner was a European champion on the track and has had a profound influence on athletics in the United Kingdom having served as CEO of the governing body since 2022. However, his story is not limited to the letter A. It encompasses Swimming, Triathlon, and a strong connection to New Zealand. Buckner reflects on his fascinating past and talks of his progressive plans for the future of UK Athletics in this rare opportunity to hear from a significant leader in the world of track and field.

Just nine months after the birth of her darling daughter, Kristie Solomon-Jenson broke into the upper echelon of New Zealand's all-time 800m runners. No kidding! The Utah-based runner relays her remarkable rise & the belief she now has to be able to earn the silver fern.

Olympian Tony Rogers and a limping Mark Rosanowski review the New Zealand Athletics team's performance at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games including the golden girls Zoe Hobbs & Eliza McCartney.

Takapuna talent Sascha Letica has been steadily improving her personal best times since beginning her Freshman year at the University of Connecticut. In April she set an Under 20 New Zealand record for 5000m in Philadelphia. The 19-year-old took time out of a recent return to this country to talk about her hopes, dreams & philosophy to make the most of her athletic opportunities.

When New Zealand's team for the World Indoor Championships in Poland was announced there were probably athletic enthusiasts googling the name Annalies Kalma. The 22-year-old has made great strides on the USA indoor circuit this season, elevating herself to number two on the list of all-time Kiwi women over 400m with a 51.81s clock at Reno, Nevada in February. However the Te Aroha native is no overnight sensation. In fact her only senior national title came in 2020 when she claimed the 400m as a raw 16-year-old before she headed Stateside to further her education and running career.

Briana Stephenson was in an ethereal state after earning a Commonwealth Games A-standard 6098 points across the seven events of the heptathlon in Brisbane in January. The reigning national champion in the combined event is also the current holder of the 100m hurdles title and she talks candidly about her expectations at home in March and hopefully in Glasgow come July.

Nearly five years down the track from her national record of 74.61m set in the USA under the cloak of covid, Lauren Bruce dares to dream of hurling the hammer that far again. After a super series of seventy plus metre throws at the summer classics the South Canterbury native returns to her city of residence, Melbourne, with a Commonwealth Games A qualifying standard in her pocket & the confidence to bury the Birmingham blues of 2022.

Long jumper Shay Veitch launched himself to within one centimetre of what is now New Zealand's oldest athletics record in Belgium in July. On the brink of his 25th birthday & a fresh Kiwi summer, Shay shares the intriguing story that has led him back to the town in which he started via Thailand, China & Dunedin.

When legendary Kiwi middle distance runner Peter Snell pointed scotsman Alec McNab in the direction of Whananui Collegiate in the early 1970s no-one could foretell the influence he would have on scores of athletes who attended the school across fives decades. In the afterglow of the World Championship victory of Whanganui Collegiate graduate Geordie Beamish we chew the fat with the dedicated coach, mentor & administrator.

From 5kms on an airport strip to the half-marathon. Not even a mountain can stop this young man. Toby Gualter has been on a title tear over the past year & he's added cross country placings in between. What's next & what's his best? Toby talks past, present & pending as the 24-year-old takes even bigger strides in his chosen sport.