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Shay Veitch shows his versatility after standout NZ Champs
Sport Nation • March 12th, 2026 5:09 pm
Shay Veitch wins the Men's 4x100m relay for Otago at the New Zealand Track & Field Championships 2025 | Photo: Supplied by Michael Dawson/ Athletics NZ
Fresh off winning the men's long jump, men's 4x100m relay and running second in the men's 100m at the New Zealand Track and Field Championships, Shay Veitch is enjoying his athletics.
Speaking to Sport Nation's The Local Game with Stephen McIvor, Veitch believes the state of athletics in New Zealand is on the right path.
“I think it’s undeniable,” Veitch said.
“We’ve had a very rich history in producing great talent over the throws and the middle-distance runs, but more recently we’ve had excellent athletes come through with the likes of Tiaan Whelpton and Zoe Hobbs in the sprints, Hamish Kerr in the jumping.
“It feels as though every event group has strong talent and it seems to be catching fire.”
The four-time New Zealand long jump champion understands that being an athlete in New Zealand is a tough task, but he knows what is needed from himself to succeed.
"To make it to these international events it takes a lot.
“Within New Zealand we maybe don’t get as much support in athletics as some other countries, which is double edged.
“On one hand I think it’s been quite harmful with our youth development, on the other hand it’s kind of forced you to be better.
“If you do want to make it, it’s pretty cut and dry, you have to be this good, and the bar is set pretty high. A bar that I’m still trying to get over.
“We’ve had such big growth in all event groups and it’s been so exciting. I think it’s definitely growing.”
Shay Veitch doing the long jump at 2025's Sir Graeme Douglas International Athletics Meet in Auckland | Photo: Shane Wenzlick/Photosport
Having the NZ Track and Field Champs on TV1 this past weekend opened the door to a whole new audience, something Veitch is pleased about.
“If you’re not following a sport that closely, it’s hard to know when the events even are, and how you can watch them to start with.
“If you’re not following a sport that closely, it’s hard to know when the events even are, and how you can watch them to start with.
“If you have just a mild interest, maybe you’ve seen a little bit of it, maybe you did it as a kid, just seeing it on TV it’s like okay, I may as well give it a watch, it’s right here in front of me. So that was pretty huge.”
Athletics wasn't always the versatile Veitch's main focus, turning to the individual sport after not wanting to rely on others to succeed.
“I loved football growing up,” Veitch said.
“I’d get up at four or five o’clock in the morning to play with friends before school. I was pretty set on becoming a pro footballer.
“I found with athletics, I like the idea that you’re completely accountable for your own results. In football you can have an amazing game, work your absolute heart out and still lose, which is not really the case with athletics.
“There’d be games where I was working hard, really trying to make it come together for the team and then some teammates would be a bit lazy. I’d always find it a bit frustrating.
“Sure, you might have some bad days at the office but if you’ve done all the work, if you remain focused and you have good competition, you’re going to get the results straight back to you which I enjoy.”
“Picking up an individual sport was daunting at first, but once I really got going, I quickly fell in love with it."
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Something synonymous with growing up in New Zealand is athletics day which Veitch used to give everything a go.
“I think it’s a big asset we have here because it exposes everyone to just giving things a go.
"I quite enjoyed doing long jump, but I didn't do that well my first year.
"I wasn’t anything too special initially, but I started to enjoy it, so I headed out to do a bit more training and it was onwards from there.
“Just the measurability was really attractive to me. Just the fact that in every outcome, there is a direct and objective way to look at how good it was, which is great when you’re trying to measure improvement."
Now that the NZ Champs have wrapped up, Veitch's goals shift offshore to put himself into contention for a potential Commonwealth Games appearance.
With 8.04m being Veitch's personal record, he hopes with a bit of injury luck on his side, he can land some big jumps overseas.
“I’ve had a bit of a rocky domestic season, which is why I’m targeting Europe for some big jumps after a couple of injuries I had.
“I think if all goes well, I don’t think 8.20m is unreasonable."
Listen to the full interview:
