Athletics: Adams throws over 20m

Valerie Adams of New Zealand reacts after a throw in the shot put. Photo / Getty Images

Valerie Adams, tossed a world class 20.19 metres in the shot put at the Porritt Classic meeting in Hamilton on Saturday.

Although below par in her eyes, Adams is at the beginning of a long season with the goal to defend her Olympic title in London.

Her coach Jean-Pierre Egger pointed out that three of her six attempts would have been good enough to win the World Championships in Daegu last year. Adams has now completed her domestic New Zealand season and leaves in two weeks to try to regain her world indoor title from arch rival Nadzeya Ostapchuk from Belarus in Turkey.

Hamilton's Commonwealth Games javelin medallist Stuart Farquhar also had a solid first up competition, getting out to a respectable 80.95 metres, once more over the London 2012 selection standard of 80.50 metres.

Elizabeth Lamb made a big breakthrough in the high jump, improving her personal best to first 1.87 metres then going on to clear 1.90 metres on her second attempt before asking the officials to set the bar at 1.93 metres, 1 cm above the current New Zealand record set by Tania Dixon in winning the 1990 Commonwealth Games title. The Aucklander went very close on all her three attempts, almost setting a new national record.

In the men's high jump competition Regan Standing from Hamilton set his second personal best in two weeks, scaling 2.08 metres and beating current New Zealand champion Billy Crayford into second.

Local hurdler Cameron French did likewise in the 400 metres hurdles, improving his best by 1.2 seconds to 52.03s, also beating the current national champion, James Mortimer into second.

Brad Mathas was another to make a breakthrough, clocking 1m 49.57s in the 800 metres, another World Junior Champs B standard for the Wanganui teenager, retaining his unbeaten streak over 800 metres this season and running under 1m 50s for the first time. Fellow junior middle distance runner Julian Oakley scored a World Junior B qualifier in the 1500 metres, stopping the clock at 3.47.31 seconds, finishing second behind sub 4 minute miler Malcolm Hick from Christchurch who recorded 3m 44.48s. The time represented an improvement of 5.5 seconds for the New Zealand schools champion.

Hamilton's Camille Buscomb showed another clean pair of heals to the field over 1500 metres, winning with a very strong last lap to retain her unbeaten record this summer over 1500 metres and mile distances.

Kristie Baillie from Hamilton took the women's 200 / 400 metres double in the absence of clubmate Monique Williams, forced out of her first run of the season following medical advice. New Zealand champion Carl Van der Speck showed the other sprinters he will be hard to beat at the 2012 national championships in Auckland in six weeks time, with two clear victories over 100 and 200 metres.

Julia Ratcliffe recorded her second best ever hammer distance, winning by almost 10 metres, with a distance of 62.09, just shy of the 62.28 she set at the Porritt Classic 12 months ago. The throw was yet another over the World Junior champs A qualifier for the Hamilton athlete.

Tom Walsh from Timaru had the men's shot put field covered with a throw of 17.74 metres while Christchurch hurdler Fiona Morrison had a busy day, winning her specialty in 13.95 seconds and placing third in the 100 metres and long jump.