Connor Bell (athlete)
New Zealand athlete (born 2001)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Connor Bell (born 21 June 2001) is a New Zealand former field athlete who retired as the national record holder and multiple-time national champion 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.[1]
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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 | |
Biography
Bell won the gold medal in the discus throw at the 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games in the Bahamas, finishing ahead of James Tomlinson of Wales.[2] On 25 January 2020, at the Potts Classic, Hawkes Bay Sports Park, in Hastings, Bell threw 63.25 m, ranking him 31st in the world for the year.[3] 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.[4]
Bell competed in the men's discus throw at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. He was the sixth-placed qualifier for the final,[5] where he finished eighth with a best throw of 60.23 metres.[6]
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.[7] 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.[8] The following month, he threw 61.33 metres to win the New Zealand national title in Wellington.[9] In August, he represented New Zealand at the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, qualifying for the final and placing tenth overall.[10]
Bell won the discus title at the 2024 New Zealand Athletics Championships in Wellington, throwing 57.83 metres.[11] He competed in the discus throw at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris in August 2024.[12][13]
Bell won the discus title at the 2025 New Zealand Athletics Championships in Dunedin, throwing 60.73 metres.[14] He extended the New Zealand national record to 69.51 metres at the Oklahoma Throws Series in Ramona in April 2025.[15] 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.[16][17]
Bell won the discus title at the 2026 New Zealand Athletics Championships in Auckland, throwing 59.09 metres.[18] Later that year, Bell announced his retirement from the sport.[19]
