Samuel Tanner (born 24 August 2000)[1] is a New Zealand middle- and long-distance runner specialising in the 1500 metres. He is Māori; his iwi affiliation is Ngāpuhi.[2] Tanner is the New Zealand indoor record holder for the 1500 metres.
 Sam Tanner in 2023 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 24 August 2000 Papamoa, New Zealand |
| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) |
| Weight | 56 kg (123 lb) |
| Sport | |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Sport | Track and field |
| Event(s) | Middle-, long-distance running |
Career
editA former surfer, Tanner set a national indoor 1500 metres record of 3:34.74 in February 2020 to secure the automatic Olympic qualification mark in Staten Island, New York[3][4] He was confirmed on the New Zealand team for the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics in April 2021.[5] At the Games, he failed to make it beyond the heats with a time of 3:43.22.[1]
In June 2022, Tanner won the Oceania Athletics Championships 1500 m title.[6] The following month, he was eliminated in the semi-finals of the event at the World Championships held in Eugene, Oregon with a time of 3:36.32.[1] In August, he finished sixth in the Birmingham Commonwealth Games men's 1500 m final, setting a new personal best of 3:31.34, an improvement of 3 seconds, and becoming the second-fastest New Zealander of all time over the distance behind Nick Willis.[7]
On 28 January 2023, Tanner lowered his personal best time for the mile by 0.41 s to record 3:54.56 in regaining the New Zealand national title at the Cook's Classic in Whanganui.[8] He improved his mile best time twice in the following two weeks with 3:52.85 and then 3:51.70, both indoors in the United States.[1]
Selected for the 1500m at the 2023 World Athletics Championships, he reached the semi-finals.[9]
In January 2024, Tanner retained the New Zealand national title in the mile at the Cook's Classic in Whanganui.[10]
In 2024, he was selected to compete for New Zealand at the 2024 Summer Olympics in the 1500m race.[11][12]
Personal bests
edit- 800 metres – 1:48.35 (Christchurch 2022)
- 1500 metres – 3:31.34 (Birmingham 2022)
- 1500 metres indoor – 3:34.72 (New York, NY 2021) NR
- One mile – 3:49.51 (Eugene, Oregon 2023)
- One mile indoor – 3:51.70 (New York, NY 2023)
- 5000 metres – 13:32.74 (Auckland 2022)
- 10,000 metres – 31:26.86 (Wellington 2018)
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Samuel TANNER – Athlete Profile". World Athletics. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
- ^ "Tokyo Olympics Day 11 (03/08): Māori athletes in action today". Te Karere, TVNZ. 3 August 2021.
- ^ "How surfing has helped Tanner's development as a runner | PERFORMANCE | World Athletics". www.worldathletics.org.
- ^ "Tokyo Olympics: Kiwi 1500m hope Sam Tanner reveals surprising secret to track success – surfing" – via www.newshub.co.nz.
- ^ "SunLive – Sam Tanner heading to the Tokyo Olympics – The Bay's News First". www.sunlive.co.nz.
- ^ "Hobbs and Doran break sprint records at Oceania Athletics Championships". inside the Games. 12 June 2022.
- ^ Birmingham, Robert van Royen in (6 August 2022). "'Happiest sixth-placed getter ever': Sam Tanner eyes Nick Willis' NZ record after lifetime best". Stuff. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
- ^ "Athletics: Elated athletes score personal bests despite miserable conditions at Whanganui's Cooks Classic". NZHerald.co.uk.
- ^ "Men's 1500m Results: World Athletics Championships 2023". Watch Athletics. 20 August 2023. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
- ^ Tweed, Mike (27 January 2024). "Athletics: Sam Tanner and Rebekah Aitkenhead triumph at Whanganui's Cooks Classic". NZHerald. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- ^ "Men's 1500m Results - Paris Olympic Games 2024 Athletics". Watch Athletics. 6 August 2024. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
- ^ Kirkness, Luke (18 April 2024). "New Zealand announces strong athletics team for Paris 2024 Olympics featuring Hamish Kerr and George Beamish". NZ Herald. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
