Record-breaking Nationals for Nursing student

Bachelor of Nursing student Rorie Poff is celebrating a great start to the year, after making the podium at the 2026 Athletics NZ Track and Field Championships in Auckland in early March.

20 year old Poff competes as a seated thrower in the Open Men’s F34 shot put.

He performed strongly with a throw of 8.65m to be crowned National Champion, breaking the Oceania and New Zealand records for his category in the process which was a huge milestone.

“I feel proud of what I was able to achieve”, says Rorie.

“I went into the competition believing I could win, and I think that self-belief played a big role.”

Rorie’s Nursing cohort and kaimahi celebrated his win at their weekly get-together and are proud of his success.

The win was welcome reward for all his hard work in training, which he juggles with his Nursing studies.

“Balancing study and training can be challenging at times, especially with placements, but athletics gives me a strong sense of purpose”, he says.

“Time management has been key, and having some flexibility with remote learning helps a lot.”

Rorie currently trains around 16 hours per week, including throwing sessions, gym work, and drills.

The proud Cantabrian moved south to Dunedin about two years ago, transferring his Nursing studies so he could work more closely with leading New Zealand para-athletics coach Raylene Bates.

“Since making that move, my training has become much more structured and performance focused”, says Rorie.

“One of the biggest improvements has been the environment being surrounded by athletes who push me to be better has made a huge difference.

“Over the past 5–6 months, I’ve improved my personal best by over a metre and broken the NZ record three times this season.”

The event at the national champs was a mixed class, meaning results were based on the percentage of the world record rather than head-to-head competition.  Rorie achieved 70.5% and is currently ranked 7th in the world for Open Men’s F34 shot put, giving him the confidence to know he can be competitive on the world stage.