Macleans College alumnus Theo Quax selected for New Zealand at World Championships
Posted on June 23, 2026
Former Macleans College student Theo Quax (Kupe House 2013 - 2017) has been selected to represent New Zealand in the 5km road race at the 2026 World Athletics Road Running Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark.
The championships will be held in September and will bring together some of the world's best distance runners. The Copenhagen course is known for being fast and flat, with enthusiastic crowds lining the route. The event attracts both emerging and established athletes looking to test themselves against elite competition.
Theo has built an impressive running career since leaving Macleans College. He attended Northern Arizona University in the United States, where he studied Civil Engineering while competing for the university's highly regarded track and field programme. He has remained based in Arizona and now trains as a member of the Flagstaff Swoosh Track Club, an elite Nike-sponsored professional running team.
He also maintains strong ties to New Zealand athletics through his membership with the Pakuranga Athletic Club.
His personal best performances include 3:37.76 for 1500m, 3:58.13 for the mile, 7:39.85 for 3000m, and 13:16.83 for 5000m.
Theo's selection marks a significant milestone in his career. Speaking to Athletics New Zealand, he described the opportunity as a long-held ambition. ‘It’s an honour to don the black singlet for the first time,’ said Theo. ‘It's something that I've aimed for and hoped for, for a very long time and frankly since I was young and first got into the sport and first learned about how successfully Dad competed for New Zealand and how well he represented the country.’
Looking ahead to the championships, Theo is focused on delivering a strong performance. ‘You know, toe the line with a quality field and see how many people I can beat, how many people I can finish in front of. At the end of the day, that’s competition at this level, and that’s racing. I want to be able to execute a solid race.’
Theo comes from a family with a proud athletics legacy. His father, the late Dick Quax, was an Olympic silver medallist and former world 5000m record holder. Theo and his father became the first New Zealand father-son combination to run a sub-four-minute mile and only the 12th worldwide to achieve the feat.
In a recent interview with Aimee Mackenzie on Aotearoa’s Running Cadence YouTube channel, Theo spoke about his plans for the coming seasons. He expressed interest in competing in Europe and continuing to improve his personal best performances.
Above all, Theo is focused on racing competitively and placing himself at the front of strong fields. He identified consistency in training as one of his greatest strengths and hopes to see that same consistency reflected in his race performances.
The Macleans College community congratulates Theo on his selection and wishes him every success as he prepares to represent New Zealand on the world stage.