Talented middle distance runner Geordie Beamish is looking forward to putting on the iconic black New Zealand singlet for the first time at next week's World Indoor Athletics Championships in Serbia.
Beamish was selected after a stunning couple of months on the indoor circuit in the United States.
Geordie Beamish Photo: AFP
He broke the New Zealand 5000m indoor record in December, recording the second fastest time ever by a New Zealand (indoors or outdoors) and then in January smashed the New Zealand 3000m indoor record with victory at the Millrose Games in New York in January.
Beamish, whose first name is actually George, left Hawke's Bay in 2015 to attend North Arizona State University, where is athletics career flourished.
He was a three-time NCAA All-American and a three-time NCAA Cross Country Team Champion.
After five years there he joined the On Athletics Club in Boulder, Colorado, which is run by three-time US Olympian Dathan Ritzenheim.
"I was fortunate to get a contract out of university to allow me to keep running," said the 25-year-old.
"The goal was to make New Zealand teams for major events like the world championships and hopefully the Olympics in the future and so I'm working towards that.
The World Indoors will be his first major event, and while next week's meet may be seen as a slightly easier team to make, Beamish is still delighted.
His next aim is the World Championships (outdoor) on his back doorstep in Eugene, Oregon in July.
"That would be sweet as I'm based here and hopefully I can make Birmingham (Commonwealth Games) a few weeks after that as well.
"Training towards world indoors has been the focus the last six weeks and then when I return I'll start another training block for the outdoor season that winds up in May and June."
Geordie Beamish with his On Athletics teammates Photo: AFP
As this is his first time representing New Zealand, he concedes he doesn't really know what it's going to be like meeting up as a team in Germany ahead of the World Championships.
"It'll definitely be a special opportunity to meet up with some guys like (shot-putter) Tom Walsh, who has been putting on the black single every year now for ten years.
"It'll be cool to be on a team with some of those more experienced guys and there are a few of us younger athletes like Zoe Hobbs and Hamish Carson and myself so that'll be exciting."
Beamish is also excited he and Carson are in the same event (3000m), a rare occasion when New Zealand has two athletes in the same world track event.
"I've known Hamish for a few years now, and he's a bloody good dude and it'll be cool to have someone to key off in the races and get ready for it together."
The pair will need to get through the preliminaries on the first day to make the final.
Beamish says, from what he's seen from the indoor competition over the new year, they'll be up against a quality field and qualifying will be tough.
With the indoor track only 200 metres, times aren't such an issue with tactics playing a bigger part at major championships.
"It's going to be a dogfight to make the final but definitely achievable.
"Indoors position is more important as it's harder to get around people and make passing moves, but it's a fun feeling to run on a banked track and is a nice change from outdoors."
New Zealand has six athletes at the World Indoor Championships, the largest team ever for the event.
Zoe Hobbs - 60m
Geordie Beamish - 3000m
Hamish Carson - 3000m
Hamish Kerr - High Jump
Tom Walsh - Shot Put
Jacko Gill - Shot Put
