The Star: October 14, 2021

The Star Thursday October 14 2021
26
SPORT
Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
Specialist training for young boxers
• By John Cosgrove
FOR THE first time, a trio of
young Canterbury boxers have
started specialist training with
High Performance Sport New
Zealand.
However, all
three however
are no strangers
to the pressures
of national-level
competition.
Daniel Meehan,
18, from
Smiling Tigers,
Leon Gibson
Hameura Tainui, 17, (Woolston)
and Leon Gibson, 17, (Waikuku)
are all age group, national and
Golden Glove champions.
Now they have the opportunity
of taking their sporting careers
in new directions.
For the next six months, they
will be individually mentored by
specialists at the HPSNZ centre
near Jellie Park.
THey will learn about
preparation, fitness and mental
conditioning, and nutrition.
HPSNZ regional manager
Andrew Ellis said it was the first
time they have invited athletes
at this youth age level and like
their coaches, he believes it
means a lot for the sport here in
Canterbury.
“It’s part of the pilot scheme
for HPSNZ’s new regional model
due in 2022 with its focus on
developing talent in regional
sports,” he said.
Aimed at formalising the
career pathways of young
talented athletes, by helping
them to progress towards
elite and eventually country
representation.
Said Ellis: “We invite them,
their families and coaches to a
meeting where we learn all about
what they are doing, what they
understand about the pathways
open to them and the levels of
performance they are seeking.
“It’s about discovering their
aspirations on and off the field.
We try and find some of the
rocks that need to be shifted at
this stage in their careers.
“Everyone is different, so it is
not about them sitting there
having someone just telling them
what to do, they must lead the
project.”
HPSNZ is also running a
regional coaching pilot scheme
at the same time, with 12
emerging coaches from pre-high
performance environments
learning how to build their
coaching capabilities in
alignment with their athletes.
Woolston head coach Holly
Sullivan said it is a wonderful
opportunity for young athletes
in the junior boxing programme.
LOOKING AHEAD: Daniel Meehan, 18, of the
Smiling Tigers Boxing Club Aranui (red) in a bout
against Auckland’s Haranish Singh.
Above – Hamuera Tainu. PHOTOS: MATTY LOUIS
“THere is a lot of talent in the
grassroots sport here but often
it’s only the mainstream national
level sports that have access to
HPSNZ,” she said.
Sullivan said it was eyeopening
as it gives her, as a
coach, an insight into the
resources they have.
“We have some real talent here
but we are lacking pathways
guidance for our athletes.
“With support like this,
it helps us as coaches and
encourages the athletes that
there is a pathway forward and
a chance to hits some of their
goals.”
Smiling Tigers coach
Mark Fuller said it will be an
invaluable experience for the
young men.
“Daniel has already had a few
sessions with them and said he
was enjoying the opportunities
offered.
“THe specialist coaches there
have all that in-depth knowledge
which is just what these young
lads need right now at this
point in their careers, we still
coach them to box but what
they learn from their mentors
helps them on their future
pathways in boxing,”
he said.
Top harness racing trainers pair up again
TOP HARNESS racing trainers
Mark Purdon and Natalie
Rasmussen will be back as a team
from January 1.
Purdon and Rasmussen announced
last November they
were taking a break from training,
with stable foreman Hayden
Cullen taking over their famous
All Stars property at Rolleston.
Purdon officially returned to
the training ranks with Cullen
in a short-term partnership two
weeks ago.
Now he has announced Rasmussen
will partner him in the
training from January 1, and
Cullen will revert to their stable
foreman from that point.
Cullen has filled the void admirably,
with Purdon and Rasmussen
helping out with training and
the majority of the big-race driving
around the major carnivals.
Said Purdon: “It has worked
really well for us because it has
given both Nat and I the chance
to have a break and refresh,
which was the idea all along.
“I’m so glad we did it. As soon as
we stopped training full-time we
realised how exhausted we were
and how time poor we had been.
“But we have had a great break
and we are ready to get back into it.
“That coincided with Hayden
and Amanda (Cullen’s wife)
coming to us and suggesting
they would love to have us back
because with summer coming up,
a big team and how hard it can
be to get staff, it was going to be a
huge challenge for them to do all
the horses justice.
“Nat and I talked about it and
think the time is right to come
back, but with Hayden having
done all the hard work over winter
getting the horses ready we
don’t want to go straight back to
it being Nat and I training.
“So it will be Hayden and I
training together until January 1,
so he can get the rightful credit
for any results we have at the big
carnivals coming up, and then
Nat and I will be back in partnership
from January 1.”
Purdon, who is now 57, says
the break from racing has taught
him and Rasmussen to approach
it differently in the next phase of
their career.
“We are looking forward to
getting back to it and we have
some exciting horses but we have
also learned a lot about taking
breaks.”—Harness Racing Desk
TOGETHER: Mark Purdon
and Natalie Rasmussen.
PHOTO: RACE IMAGES ​
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