SYDNEY - New Zealand sprinter James Dolphin was today eyeing selection for his first Olympic Games in Beijing after going under the qualifying time here at the weekend.
Dolphin, 24, from the North Harbour club, ran a personal best 20.56 seconds in winning the 200m at the SydneyTrack Classic.
He nudged under the New Zealand qualifying time of 20.59sec in the process.
"I'm absolutely blown away," Dolphin said.
The effort beat Dolphin's previous best of 20.60sec set in Brisbane in 2005, and the 20.65sec he ran in reaching the quarterfinals at the world championships in Japan last year.
"My wife is due to give birth to our second child on February 2 and to have the time now has taken the pressure off that period," he said.
Dolphin's next competition is in Canberra in two weeks time, followed by the Australian Cup in Brisbane a week later.
Meanwhile, Andrea Miller broke her New Zealand 100m hurdles record in finishing second to Australia's Sally McLellan in a time of 13.13sec.
Miller bettered her national record of 13.20sec set at the World University Games in Bangkok in August, but was outside the selection standard for Beijing of 12.96sec.
"This is only my second race (this season), and with a break through I am capable of taking a big chunk off it," said Miller.
Miller also ran a personal best of 11.62sec in finishing fourth in the 100m while compatriot Monique Williams won the women's 200m in a personal best of 23.45sec.
