Connor Bell (athlete)
2018 Summer Youth Olympics | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | 21 June 2001 Auckland, New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Education | Westlake Boys High School | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 192 cm (6 ft 4 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 104 kg (229 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | New Zealand | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Track and Field | ||||||||||||||||||||
Event | Discus throw | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | |||||||||||||||||||||
| National finals | Discus champion (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2925, 2026) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal bests | Discus throw – 69.51m (Ramona, 2025) NR | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| |||||||||||||||||||||
Connor Bell (born 21 June 2001) is a New Zealand field athlete who is the national record holder in the discus throw. He represented his country at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and 2024 Olympic Games, and had top-ten finishes at the 2023 and 2025 World Athletics Championships. He is a multiple-time national champion.[1]
Career
On 25 January 2020, at the Potts Classic, Hawkes Bay Sports Park, in Hastings, Bell threw 63.25 m, a throw that would place him 31st for the year worldwide in 2020.[2] At the same venue, on 23 January 2021, Bell set a new personal best throw of 64.29 m. On 27 March 2021, Bell won the New Zealand national championship with a throw of 61.85. In 2022, Bell repeated his national title win and added a victory at the 2022 Oceania Athletics Championships in Mackay, Australia.[3]
Bell competed in the men's discus throw at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. He was the sixth-placed qualifier for the final,[4] where he finished eighth with a best throw of 60.23 metres.[5]
At the Pre-Potts track and field meeting in Hastings on 18 January 2023, Bell broke the New Zealand national discus throw record, with a distance of 66.14 metres, breaking the previous mark of 65.03 metres set by Ian Winchester in 2002.[6] At the Maurie Plant Meet - Melbourne on 22 February 2023, Bell bettered his own national record with 66.23 metres to win the event ahead of Australian Matthew Denny.[7] The following month, he threw 61.33 metres to win the New Zealand national title in Wellington.[8] In August, he represented New Zealand at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, qualifying for the final and placing tenth overall.[9]
Bell won the discus title at the 2024 New Zealand Athletics Championships in Wellington, throwing 57.83 metres.[10] He competed in the discus throw at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris in August 2024.[11][12]
Bell won the discus title at the 2025 New Zealand Athletics Championships in Dunedin, throwing 60.73 metres.[13] He extended the New Zealand national record to 69.51 metres at the Oklahoma Throws Series in Ramona in April 2025.[14] In September 2025, he competed in the discus throw at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo, Japan, qualifying for the final and placing tenth overall.[15][16]
Bell won the discus title at the 2026 New Zealand Athletics Championships in Auckland, throwing 59.09 metres.[17]
References
- ^ "Connor BELL". worldathletics.org. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
- ^ "Discus Throw – men – senior – outdoor – 2020". www.worldathletics.org. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
- ^ "Tokyo Olympics: Anxious wait for discus ace Connor Bell with Games spot in jeopardy". Stuff. 29 June 2021. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
- ^ "Men's discus throw qualifying round – results summary" (PDF). Birmingham 2022. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
- ^ "Men's discus throw final – results" (PDF). Birmingham 2022. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
- ^ "Aucklander Connor Bell smashes 21-year-old New Zealand discus record". Stuff. 19 January 2023. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
- ^ "Maurie Plant Meet – Melbourne". World Athletics. 7 March 2026. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
- ^ "New Zealand Championships". World Athletics. 3 March 2026. Retrieved 7 March 2026.
- ^ "World Athletics Championships, Budapest 2023". World Athletics. 20 August 2023. Retrieved 7 March 2026.
- ^ "New Zealand Track & Field Championships". World Athletics. 14 March 2024. Retrieved 7 March 2026.
- ^ "Men's Discus Throw Results - Paris Olympic Games 2024 Athletics". Watch Athletics. 7 August 2024. Retrieved 8 September 2024.
- ^ Kirkness, Luke (18 April 2024). "New Zealand announces strong athletics team for Paris 2024 Olympics featuring Hamish Kerr and George Beamish". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
- ^ "New Zealand Track & Field Championships". World Athletics. 6 March 2025. Retrieved 7 March 2026.
- ^ "Oklahoma Throws Series". World Athletics. 17 April 2025. Retrieved 7 March 2026.
- ^ "World Athletics Championships, Tokyo 2025". World Athletics. 18 September 2025. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
- ^ "New Zealand team for 2025 World Athletics Championships confirmed". Athletics New Zealand. 5 September 2025. Retrieved 5 September 2025.
- ^ "New Zealand Track & Field Championships". World Athletics. 7 March 2026. Retrieved 7 March 2026.
External links
- Connor Bell at World Athletics
- Connor Bell at the New Zealand Olympic Committee
- Connor Bell at Olympedia
- Connor Bell at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games