Athletics: Vaulter smashes national record

SYDNEY - Pole vaulter Jenni Dryburgh toppled an Olympic silver medallist and smashed the national record to complete the undoubted New Zealand highlight at the Australian athletics championships which finished in Brisbane yesterday.

Aucklander Dryburgh cleared 4.35m, eclipsing her former national record of 4.16m and leaving Australian glamour girl Tatiana Grigorieva to settle for silver, the same result as at the Sydney Olympics six months ago.

Dryburgh failed in her three attempts at 4.40m.

If successful it would have qualified her for the world track and field championships in Canada in August.

However, she was well past the B qualifying mark of 4.20m and could still be selected if she can produce some more consistent results.

The 22-year-old obviously felt it was her day, starting with the bar at 4.20m, 4cm beyond her previous best.

She cleared it on the first attempt, and was successful at 4.25m and 4.35m on her third and final attempt.

It was a breakthrough performance for Dryburgh who has promised much for the past two seasons.

Jane Arnott (52.59s) and Rebecca Wardell (personal best 52.67s) also produced world championship B qualifying performances, in the women's 400m final on Saturday night.

They were second and third behind Australian Nova Peris-Kneebone, who fell over the finish line in her desperation to hold out the hard-charging Arnott.

Long- jumper Chantal Brunner equalled her New Zealand record, leaving the best to her last jump with 6.68m to leapfrog the field for gold.

New Zealand's third senior gold of the championships went to the Otago men's 4x100m sprint relay team of Dallas Roberts, Jeremy Dixon, Josh Martin and Lachlan McLellan in a sharp 40.75s.

- NZPA