Athletics: Beatrice Faumuina breaks record

10.00pm

Beatrice Faumuina proved she's still the golden girl of New Zealand discus and did so in emphatic fashion by breaking her own record at the national athletic championships here today.

Faumuina's first throw of 66.08m was her best of the year and sealed another title for the 29-year-old, cracking her 1998 winning distance of 65.78m in the process.

Today's result at Newtown Park caps a solid start to 2004 for the reigning Commonwealth Games champion after she won the discus at the Australian track and field championships in Sydney last month.

Faumuina said last year was incredibly testing, with the low point coming in August after she finished last at the world championships in Paris -- an event she won in 1997 -- but the omens looked far brighter for the perennial crowd favourite this year.

"This year is looking very promising, and the timing is good with the Olympics in August," Faumuina told NZPA today.

"Today's throw was the result of some good training. I'm in really good shape and also happy, so when that comes together hopefully some good things will happen."

"Now it's about keeping the body injury free but also doing the hard work as well."

Faumuina's record-breaking throw topped a day of strong performances for a group of experienced female athlete's who continued to dominate in their events.

Tasha Williams and Jane Arnott were at the fore notching their name into the New Zealand honours board for the eighth time in the hammer throw and 400m respectively.

Williams, from Canterbury, threw 56.56m in the last of six attempts to win by just under 4m from Otago's Debbie McCaw

Besides claiming her sixth national long jump title today, Chantal Brunner also showed consistency after recording three consecutive jumps of 6.27m.

Representing Counties, the former Olympian couldn't explain her identical jumps but could confirm she was still aiming for Athens despite being well short of the Olympic B qualifying standard of 6.55m.

"The qualifying standards are higher than what it's been in past Olympics but it's not impossible," said Brunner, who has a personal best of 6.68m.

"I missed last year due to a stress fracture on my shin, and I've only been competing since January so I'm feeling pretty good."

Today's win follows her third placing at the Australian nationals last month.

In other highlights Francois Coetzee of Auckland won the men's long jump with a 7.41m effort and Wellington based Shaka Sola -- one of only two Samoan track and field athletes heading to the Olympics -- won the men's shot put with a throw of 17.29m.

Gareth Hyett ran 1min 51.66sec to claim the men's 800m title and Anglea McKee leapt 1.83m to easily win the women's high jump.

Highlights from yesterday's included Valerie Adams winning the women's shot put, throwing 17.95m, and Donald MacDonald taking the title of New Zealand's fastest man, clocking 10.56sec in the 100m.

Tomorrow, all eyes will focus on world 400m hurdles champion Jana Pittman who races local hope Rebecca Wardell.

- NZPA