Toni Louise Hodgkinson (born 12 December 1971) is a former New Zealand

middle distance runner Middle-distance running events are track races longer than sprints, up to 3000 metres. The standard middle distances are the 800 metres, 1500 metres and mile run, although the 3000 metres may also be classified as a middle-distance event. The 1 ...

, originally from

Tākaka Tākaka is a small town situated at the southeastern end of Golden Bay, at the northern end of New Zealand's South Island, located on the lower reaches of the Tākaka River. State Highway 60 runs through Takaka and follows the river valley ...

. She currently holds the New Zealand woman's record in the

800 m The 800 metres, or meters ( US spelling), is a common track running event. It is the shortest commonly run middle-distance running event. The 800 metres is run over two laps of an outdoor (400-metre) track and has been an Olympic event since th ...

. As a student at Golden Bay High School, Hodgkinson set many New Zealand track and field age-best times, several of which still stand, including 1500 m in 4:29:50 at 13 and 2:04.31 at 17. She is 180 cm tall and in her competing days, weighed 62 kg. She represented New Zealand at both the

Olympics The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...

and the

Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games, often referred to as the Friendly Games or simply the Comm Games, are a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 British Empire Game ...

. At the 1996 Summer Olympics she made the final, placing eighth with a time of 2:00:54. At the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 ( Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from ...

she competed in both the 800 m and 1500 m, making it through to the semi finals in the 800m with a time of 1:59:84. Hodgkinson competed at the

1990 Commonwealth Games The 1990 Commonwealth Games ( mi, 1990 Taumāhekeheke Commonwealth) were held in Auckland, New Zealand from 24 January – 3 February 1990. It was the 14th Commonwealth Games, and part of New Zealand's 1990 sesquicentennial celebrations. Parti ...

as an 18-year-old, and again at the

1998 Commonwealth Games The 1998 Commonwealth Games ''(Malay language, Malay: Sukan Komanwel 1998)'', officially known as the XVI Commonwealth Games ''(Malay: Sukan Komanwel ke-16)'', was a multi-sport event held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This edition is marked by sev ...

where she finished eighth in the 1500m final. In 1997, Hodgkinson was a finalist for the Halberg New Zealand Sportswoman of the Year, an honor bestowed upon New Zealand's greatest athletes. After a decade of living in

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about I ...

, Hodgkinson now lives in

Motueka Motueka is a town in the South Island of New Zealand, close to the mouth of the Motueka River on the western shore of Tasman Bay / Te Tai-o-Aorere. It is the second largest in the Tasman Region, with a population of as of The surrounding d ...

with her husband Alistair Smart and their children.
/ref> In 2009, Hodgkinson competed for the Motueka Marvels in the TVNZ game show series

Top Town Top Town was a New Zealand game show series where teams from different towns in New Zealand competed in various obstacle challenges against each other, along the lines of the earlier British series ''It's a Knockout''. The show first ran in New ...

. The Motueka Marvels made it into the finals as the Wild Card team and lost to Taupo in the semi-final.

Personal bests

Outdoor: Indoor:

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hodgkinson, Toni Living people 1971 births New Zealand female middle-distance runners Athletes (track and field) at the 1996 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2000 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1990 Commonwealth Games Athletes (track and field) at the 1998 Commonwealth Games People from Tākaka Olympic athletes of New Zealand Commonwealth Games competitors for New Zealand