Beatrice Faumunia (NZL) (© Getty Images)
The second day of the New Zealand Track & Field Championships in Newtown Park were highlighted by a marvellous performance from 1997 World Discus champion Beatrice Faumunia.
Faumuina who is unbeaten so far in 2004, showed she is right on track for the Athens Olympics with a huge winning 66.08m throw. The 29 year-old World Cup winner and Commonwealth champion had a previous season’s best of 63.44m (PB - 68.52, 1997)
Park throws Korean Javelin record
Javelin exponent, Stu Farquhar, 22, threw the spear out beyond 79m for an Athens ‘B’ qualifier. His previous best had been 74.51. He was beaten by Korea’s Jae-Myong Park who won with a 83.99m national record. Park was fourth at last summer’s World Student Games. The 22 year-old Korean’s previous best was 81.46 (2003).
Adams returns for junior title too
Valerie Adams returned to the circle early today to throw 17.92m in the junior shot put after winning the senior event the previous evening.
Tasha Williams (women’s hammer) and Jane Arnott (women’s 400m) celebrated eighth national titles each with their wins today, while Tim Hawkes picked up his third senior 400m title in a row.
Gareth Hyett retained his 800m senior title, as did James Mortimer in the 110m hurdles, while Monique Williams took her second junior women’s gold of the meet easily winning the 400m. She awaits the 200m tomorrow to compete another outstanding weekend after taking the 200-400 double in Australia a fortnight ago.
Athens bound Barrett on top form
First events tomorrow will be the 20km walks where Craig Barrett will look to carry on his outstanding form of Friday evening when he went under 13 minutes in the 3000m track walk.
Already qualified for Athens, Barrett will be looking for qualifying performances from Gabrielle Gorst also for Athens, and Graeme Jones and Tony Sargisson for the World Teams Cup, next month. In the juniors, Amanda Gorst looks odds on to confirm inclusion in the team to the World Junior Championships in Italy, later in the year.
The return to form of Jordan Vandermade after missing most of the past six months battling injury, caused real excitement after the fourth-placed Octathlete at last year’s World Youth Championships won the junior Long Jump, Javelin and 400m with real ease.
