Sprinter defends masters titles in Brisbane

Not even an achilles tendon injury could stop remarkable Motueka athlete Joeline Jones going unbeaten at the Pan Pacific Masters Games in Queensland.

The track events were switched from the Gold Coast to Brisbane and while times were faster, the attrition rate was higher.

Having defended her 100-metre title on the opening day, Joeline started to feel a niggle in her achilles tendon and calf muscle in the warm up before the 200m on day two.

“The track surface was really hard,” reveals Joeline, who still went on to retain her title in the 40 to 44 year age group.

Fortunately, the early childhood teacher has become accustomed to dealing with injuries and backed up again on the third day to win not only the 60m dash but the 400m as well.

Her experience showed as she paced herself through her longest race.

That highlighted the 43-year-old’s durability and versatility as none of her rivals took on the 60m-400m double.

So for the second time, she swept the competition in all four sprints at the masters to retain her crowns.

“Even coming home injured, it was still worth it as I caught up with so many old friends,” says Joeline. The Motueka masters marvel credits much of her success to coach Tony Aikenhead, who is best known for his work with young sprinters.

In fact, she regularly races against the teenagers at Athletics Nelson events.

“Tony is the best coach in the top of the South Island and I am his only master,” declares Joeline, who was encouraged to return to the sport in her mid-thirties after playing touch football.

“I am running faster in my 40’s than my 30’s. Tony taught me how to do that.”

Often her biggest threat is injuries. It wasn’t her first achilles problem and add to that ankle, calf, quad and hamstring issues over the years. At least her knees are holding up.

“Generally when I suffer an injury, I manage it only to get a different one when I come back,” laments Joeline.

She was sidelined from last October to January this year but just keeps bouncing back.

“It does get harder as you get older, but I want to keep competing as long as my body allows,” vows Joeline. She’s already busy saving leave for her next mission, the World Masters Games in Taipei in May.