Valerie Vili of New Zealand celebrates winning bronze in the women's Shot Put (© Getty Images)
World Shot Put bronze medallist Valerie AdamsVili continued her outstanding form with her second New Zealand ‘all-comers and resident record’ within three days at the NorthSport Classic meeting in Auckland, New Zealand on Saturday evening (17).
Vili had the shot out to 19.44m in the opening round of the competition, a six centimetre improvement on her effort at the Porritt Classic meeting in Hamilton last Wednesday (14).
"That was sweet, as I wanted to throw further than Hamilton," said Vili who was taking part in only her second competition of the new southern hemisphere season.
Though the performance was the furthest distance ever put in New Zealand, Vili holds the national record of 19.87m set in the qualification round at the World Championships in Helsinki, Finland in August.
Her next competition will be the New Zealand Championships in Christchurch at the end of January.
In the women’s Discus Throw, former World champion Beatrice Faumuina, again found the conditions not conducive for a big throw, sending the Discus out to 58.61m. Faumuina, the reigning Commonwealth Games title holder now looks forward to the Capital Classic in Wellington on 13 January 2006.
Craig Barrett, 2002 Commonwealth Games 50km silver medallist who has already qualified at 50km for the next edition of the Games in Melbourne next March, won the 20km track walk in 1:32.7.
In the women’s 5000m, Jess Ruthe clocked an impressive 15:53.50, heading in Nina Rillstone by just over a second. World Mountain Running Champion Kate McIlroy was third in 15:59.12.
Commonwealth Games Hammer Throw silver medallist, Philip Jensen was just under three metres short of the qualification target for Melbourne with a throw of 65.74m.
Murray McKinnon - Athletics New Zealand – for the IAAF
