Athletics: Smith to contest 10,000m in Helsinki

New Zealand's Kimberley Smith has opted to contest the 10,000m rather than the 5000m at the world athletics championships.

Athletics New Zealand said Smith had chosen the 10,000m which will be run on the opening day of the championships in Helsinki on Saturday.

Smith, 23, has broken Nyla Carroll's national records in both the 5000m and 10,000m in recent months.

The US-based Aucklander qualified for the 10,000m after setting a New Zealand record of 31 minutes 21.00 seconds, three months ago in California.

This time ranks Smith 12th in the world this year.

Smith will run the 5000m at the world student games in Turkey, on August 18.

Smith set a New Zealand 5000m record of 15min 5.68sec last week in Sweden.

Meanwhile, Melbourne-based Rebecca Forlong broke the long-standing New Zealand women's 19 years age group 1500m record with a time of 4min 16.20sec in Dublin on Sunday.

Competing in the Dublin International Games, Forlong clipped one second off Anne Lardner's record set in Hamilton in 1988.

Forlong will contest the 1500m and 3000m steeplechase at the world student games this month.

- NZPA