Grimaldi won the women’s para 100m at the Cooks Classic in Whanganui at the weekend.
The Hill City-University athlete finished in 12.78sec ahead of Egmont sprinter Amy Ellis, who produced a personal best of 14.39sec.
It was Grimaldi’s first major meet since her successful Paralympics, where she won gold in the 200m and bronze in the 100m in Paris.
The Cooks Classic was again a bumper meet to start the summer circuit. It is a world athletics continental tour bronze event, and was packed with international athletes.
Hill City-University athlete Luke Moffitt showed his strengths on both the track and field.
He was crowned the men’s long jump champion with his leap of 6.82m to edge runner-up Max Attwell (Christchurch Old Boys), who finished in 6.80m.
Moffitt also came seventh in the men’s 400m hurdles and ninth in the men’s triple jump.
His brother, Cameron, also had a strong competition and finished third in the men’s 400m hurdles with a season-best 54.76sec.
Whanganui’s Jonathan Maples won with a personal best of 52.05sec and James Hansen (Marlborough) was runner-up with another personal best of 53.90sec.
Jackson Rogers continued his rich vein of form. The Aspiring sprinter came second in the men’s 100m with a time of 10.79sec and finished fourth in the 200m.
New Zealand’s top Olympians were out in full force.
Olympic champion Hamish Kerr had a season-best 2.19m to comfortably win the men’s high jump.
Australian Zane Paterson was second with his jump of 2.10m.
Olympic thrower Lauren Bruce won the women’s hammer throw with 67.48m and also the women’s shot put with a season-best 13.15m.
Olympic runner Sam Tanner dominated the distance events.
He won the men’s 1500m in 3min 41.18sec and won his third consecutive men’s New Zealand mile in a season-best 3min 55.75sec.
Australian para athlete Jaryd Clifford — who has crossed the Ditch to join partner Grimaldi on the New Zealand circuit — was third in both events.
He ran a season-best 3min 43.75sec in the 1500m and produced a personal best of 4min 0.45sec in the mile, coming close to being the first para athlete to go under the 4min mark at the New Zealand mile.
Alison Andrews-Paul was the first Kiwi woman home to win the women’s New Zealand mile with a season-best 4min 40.86sec.
The summer circuit continues tomorrow with the Capital Classic in Wellington, and the Potts Classic is in Hawke’s Bay on Saturday.
— Otago masters runner Des Campbell set a New Zealand and Otago men’s 90 years 800m record with his time of 4min 32.49sec at the Otago interclub meeting at the Caledonian at the weekend.
He lowered the previous national masters record of 5min 41.21sec set in 2012.
