Athletics: Faumuina yet to hit her best

In a sport where athletes peak in their mid-30s Beatrice Faumuina, 30, could again find gold-medal form. Picture / Reuters

Discus devotee Beatrice Faumuina believes she still has some significant steps to perform on her specialist dance floor.

Faumuina has a spring back in her stride after finishing fourth at the world championships yesterday in Helsinki, Finland - her best result since winning the world crown eight years ago.

She will now go to next year's Commonwealth Games in Melbourne as a hot favourite to complete a hat-trick of titles, and the 2008 Olympics in Beijing also loom large.

Faumuina had been flirting with thoughts of a life outside the discus ring, but yesterday's performance means that idea has been shelved.

"We've known that throwers start hitting their peak in their mid-30s ... After today, I feel I'm in it, I'm here for keeps," said the 30-year-old said after falling short of a bronze medal by 46cm.

"After tonight I shall be in it for another 2 1/2 years. It's done my confidence the world of good."

Faumuina is convinced her best is yet to come. "In the last three years, with the work I've done with Debs [coach Debbie Strange], we've seen some amazing things happening at training so, if we keep going as we are over the next couple of years, it should start to look fantastic."

A fixture among the elite of New Zealand athletes since 1994, the Aucklander stood in awe at the gold medal-winning performance of Germany's Franka Dietzsch, at 37 the oldest of the 12 finalists. The 1999 world champ threw a best of 66.56m to lead from the opening round and head home Olympic champion Natalya Sadova, of Russia, on 64.33m and Czech Vera Cechlova on 63.19m.

Faumuina made a conscious effort to ensure one of her two opening throws counted in difficult, slippery conditions. She managed that with a first throw of 62.73m, which was enough to see her into the last eight and then to secure fourth place.

Her second did not count and thereafter she threw 57.70m, 61.01m, 60.94m and 57.42m in deteriorating conditions.

The only other New Zealander in action yesterday, Jason Stewart, 23, finished one place shy of qualifying for the men's 800m semifinals.

Russia's Olympic champion Yuri Borzakovskiy won Stewart's heat in a leisurely 1m 50.14s. Stewart was fourth in 1m 50.35s.

The first three in each heat went through to the semifinals, plus the next six fastest finishers. Because Stewart's heat was the slowest by far, he missed out.

- NZPA