Athletics: Pateman Olympic 200m prospect

By MURRAY McKINNON

New Zealand decathlon champion Gene Pateman came of age as a sprinter with a stunning 20.82s over 200m at Mt Smart on Saturday.

Competing in the annual Battle of the Cities meeting, the 23-year-old rocketed up the national all-time list and is now knocking on the door of qualifying for the Sydney Olympics.

Conditions played into Pateman's hands, and the following wind down the final straight was a legal 0.56 metres a second.

Pateman was nearly one second clear of Ben Potter in reducing his best time from last season of 21.06s.

The target performance for Olympic selection is 20.70s and Pateman could well be joining Chris Donaldson in the starting blocks at Sydney next September.

"I was working towards a fast 200m before Christmas so I could get a start in the Australian grand prix meetings," Pateman said. "I am aiming for the 200m as well as the long jump for the Olympics."

Toni Hodgkinson also showed a fine turn of speed in her build-up to next month's Marley Games and the Sydney Olympics.

Hodgkinson, an Atlanta Olympics 800m finalist, ran her best 400m for nearly two years of 55.21s.

Daniel Bediako, tipped by his coach Dave Norris to break his own 35-year-old New Zealand triple jump record, set a personal best triple jump of 15.01m.

The New Zealand resident record of 15.94m was set by Norris at the 1965 national championships in Palmerston North.

"I see Daniel as a potential breaker of my record," Norris said. "He is a real novice at the event. He has been close to the record in training and it is just a matter of putting it all together in competition."

Another athlete who will shortly be adding her name to the record books is 15-year-old Valerie Adams, who eclipsed Beatrice Faumuina's New Zealand under-18 shot put record by 25cm with a heave of 14.83m.

Unfortunately there was no back up measurement made for the record to be ratified.

"It is my fault, I take full responsibility," said Kirsten Hellier, the New Zealand javelin champion. "I was asked to be an official and it was not done properly and, to make matters worse, I'm her coach."

Her husband, Pat Hellier, won all three senior men's throwing events, with the hammer throw of 63.22m, one of his best for over a year.

Nick Cowan, three times New Zealand 400m champion from 1994, was around the track in an impressive 47.49s, with Simon Potter coming back to form with a vengeance in recording his best time in nearly three years of 47.81s.

Chantal Brunner headed in Jane Arnott over 100m in 12.31s and later won the long jump, clearing 6.23m.

Arnott easily won the 200m in 24.15s, while Faumuina collected the shot put (15.05m) and the discus (57.13m).

Manukau won the cities competition from Auckland and North Shore.