KEY POINTS:
Young NZ sprinter Monique Williams won the 200m at the Australian championships in Brisbane last evening but her achievement went unrecognised.
"I had a really strong finish. It is an amazing experience and it has been my goal this season to win here tonight," said a disappointed Williams.
"I'm really upset, though, that they didn't recognise my win. They didn't even read out my name at the victory ceremony," she added.
For the first time at the championships, athletes from other countries placed in the first three were not recognised at the victory ceremonies.
Triple New Zealand sprint champion Williams, with an explosive finish over the final 50m, won the title in a wind-assisted time of 23.28s.
She beat Papua New Guinean Mae Koime, who recorded 23.38s. Queenslander Melanie Kleeberg was third in 23.46s.
On Saturday, Hamilton-based Williams was second to Australia's Tamsyn Lewis in the final of the 400m.
Williams ran a personal best of 52.74s, just over a second behind Lewis who ran 51.71s.
The new golden girl of New Zealand athletics received a consolation in that her time, under the standard of 53.34s set for selection, qualified her for the World University Games in Bangkok Thailand in August. Williams has already qualified for the games' 200m.
James Mortimer bettered his New Zealand national 110m hurdles record of 13.88s set in Melbourne a year ago, finishing second in 13.71s. Justin Merlino of Australia won in a world championships qualifier of 13.55s.
Andrea Miller also broke her New Zealand national 100m hurdles record by one hundredth of a second, finishing third in 13.29s. Sally McLellan won in an Australian record of 12.92s.
Ana Po'uhila of Tonga, who is a member of the Oceania high performance team on Auckland's North Shore won the shot put with 16.17m.
Australian Dani Samuels won the discus yesterday with a throw of 60.4m to beat Beatrice Faumuina of Auckland, who had to settle for second with her fifth-round 58.02m.
Like Williams, Faumuina, who has won the Australian title on seven previous occasions and holds the championship record of 68.28m set in 1997, said it was disappointing not to be recognised.
"I go home with nothing. At the New Zealand champs, an Australian placed goes home with a medal, but here, not even a mention at the victory ceremony," said Faumuina.
"If I had known I wouldn't have bothered coming, and saved the money to get here for a trip to Japan in a month's time in preparation for the world champs."
