Canterbury sprinter Tiaan Whelpton shattered Gus Nketia’s 30-year-old New Zealand 60m record, clocking an astonishing 6.50 seconds at the ACT Championships in Canberra.
His time, which qualifies him for the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing, China, eclipsed the previous record of 6.59 set in 1995 and places him among the world’s top 60 all-time in the event.
Whelpton expressed surprise at his performance and is now focused on excelling at the World Indoors. He is set to compete in the NZ Summer Circuit and National Championships before his March debut on the global stage.
NZL NATIONAL RECORD 🇳🇿
Tiaan Whelpton breaks the New Zealand 60m Record in 6.50
This performance is also a World Indoor Championships Qualifying Performance #OceaniaAthletics pic.twitter.com/uUdClUoA6h
— Oceania Athletics (@OceaniaAths) January 25, 2025
Wow nice work young man, great to have some feel good news