Athletics: Valerie Adams and Faumuina dominate national champs

By MURRAY MCKINNON

Beatrice Faumuina and Valerie Adams cemented their places in the New Zealand team for the Athens Olympics at the national championships in Wellington over the weekend, Faumuina improving on her discus world ranking with a throw of 66.08m.

Adams followed up her senior women's shotput title on Friday, improving 2cm to 17.97m for the under-19 title 24 hours later.

Faumuina, who won her 11th national title, was delighted with her form five months from the Olympics.

"It has started a very promising year and I am upbeat and positive."

Stuart Farquhar qualified for the Olympic B standard in the javelin with a throw of 79.68m.

However, a qualifying mark proved elusive for others knocking on the door of Olympic selection.

Australian world 400m hurdle champion Jana Pittman showed the style that won her the title in Paris last year, winning in 55.95s, but Rebecca Wardell was dogged by a strong wind down the back straight and lost her rhythm, fighting home in 57.97s. She needed 56.25s or better.

Pittman ran with Renee Robson, Anabelle Smith and Rosemarie Hayward to qualify Australia for Athens in the 4x400m relay.

Melina Hamilton, needing 4.30m in the pole vault, cleared 4.15m comfortably but narrowly missed 4.30m in her second attempt en route to her ninth national title.

Others who stamped their longevity in national titles were Paul Gibbons, claiming his 10th pole vault title, Phillip Jensen, his 10th hammer throw, and Jane Arnott, her eighth successive 400m.

Tom Davie finally captured the oldest record in the books, adding 15cm to Dave Norris' 1958 under-20 triple jump record with a legal leap of 15.62m.

Chantal Brunner bagged her fourth national 100m title in 11.86s as well as winning the long jump with 6.27m and the triple jump with 11.58m.

Paul Hamblyn retained his 1500m title in a slow 3m 48.57s, and Dallas Roberts won the 200m in 21.01s.

A dead heat between Bruce Long and Thomas Satherley in the under-19 400m hurdles brought back memories of Long's father David dead heating with Graeme Weavers for the senior title in 1978.