Winchester completes bleak track and field start to Games

Discus thrower Ian Winchester ended a bleak weekend for New Zealand track and field when he finished 31st at the Olympic Games today.

Winchester, 28, turned in a best throw of 58.64 metres in the Olympic Stadium qualifying round, after consistently cracking 60m over the last four months.

He joined high jumper Glenn Howard, 10,000m runner Michael Aish and 800m runner Toni Hodgkinson failing to make finals in the first three days of athletics.

Howard was 27th equal of 35 starters, and Aish slowest of 34, on Friday.

Last night, Atlanta finalist Hodgkinson failed to fire in the last 100m of a hectic semifinal. She was sixth in 1 minute 59.84secs, after getting herself well placed.

Former discus world champion Beatrice Faumuina is now cast in the role of New Zealand's great redeemer. Tomorrow she steps into the circle for her qualifying round.

Commonwealth champion Faumuina, 25, is ranked in the world top 10 this year with a best of 65.41m. In that form she should win her way into Wednesday's final.

At 110kg, she is the heaviest thrower in the contest. Coach Les Mills maintains her technique is among the best. The question is whether she can put it together after a period of patchy form.

Winchester, like Faumuina coached by Mills, came to Sydney with a 64.26m best, thrown four months ago in the United States.

He was in nothing like that form today, throwing 58.61m, 58.64m and a foul, when 62.72m was good enough to make the 12-thrower final.

Winchester, who also threw sub-60m at the 1997 and 1999 world championships, told NZPA he would have liked to have thrown over 61m.

``Getting here is an achievement, and going out there to represent your country is a great honour,'' he said.

Any who questioned if he was good enough to be at the Olympics should respect the fact he gave 100 percent and wore the Silver Fern proudly, he said.

``First of all it's about me, and I know I came do better. It's a little downer on myself to know I should have done better out there but, hey, these things happen on the day.

``The public can criticise but ... that's how it goes in sport, you have your good days and your bad days.''

After qualifying fourth-fastest, Hodgkinson could not understand why she was unable to kick home off a fast pace.

She copped a check from Helena Fuchsova -- a Czech -- but said that had not affected her.

``I still felt quite good with 200 to go, but with 100 to go I was really starting to feel uncomfortable, which surprised me because I thought today I'd go 1.58.

``I'm disappointed that the last 150 didn't feel really good because all season I've been feeling really well.

``The 800m is about rhythm and really floating along; maybe I didn't relax enough. The only thing that I did wrong was that I just didn't have it in the last 100.''

She felt the early rounds had been tougher in Atlanta, where she ran 1min 58.25secs to reach the final.

She has set herself for the 1500m heats, which are on Wednesday. Her ambition is to reach the final, and beat her personal best 4min 6.23secs.

- NZPA