Athletics: High jumper Lamb maintains unbeaten record

Elizabeth Lamb in action in the high jump. Photo / Dean Purcell

Elizabeth Lamb maintained her unbeaten record on both sides of the Tasman this summer, winning the women's high jump on the second day of the IAAF World Challenge in Melbourne last night.

Lamb's winning height of 1.83 metres was good given the wet conditions. Lamb now concentrates on her preparations for the New Zealand Track and Field Championships in three weeks, and hopefully some better weather to challenge the New Zealand record of 1.92 metres.

Jake Robertson provided the best performance on the track for New Zealand. The 22-year-old former Hamilton athlete who has based himself in Kenya for the past five years, finished fourth in the 5000m at the Melbourne Track Classic in a very good international field.

Robertson positioned himself near the front of the field for most of the 12 and a half laps and with three laps to go sat comfortably in third, behind top Australians Collis Birmingham and Craig Mottram.

The two Australians edged away and fought a classic battle over the last two laps before Mottram sprinted away over the last 200 metres to win in 13 min 18.58 sec.

American Ben True passed Robertson on the last lap, but Robertson held off the others in the field to record his second best ever time of 13 min 29.71 seconds.
Hamish Carson recorded 14 min 00.73 sec in 12th place, 20 seconds faster than his previous best.

Stuart Farquhar had another epic contest with Commonwealth champion Jarod Bannister in the javelin. Australian champion Bannister beating the New Zealand champion by exactly two metres, 82.97m to 80.97m.

In the shot put Tom Walsh had one of his better throws of the season, throwing 18.11 metres for third place.

Camille Buscomb ran yet another good race over 1500m metres recording a personal best of 4 min19.66 sec for seventh place, while Hannah Newbould was a couple of places back in ninth, recording 4 min 23.96 sec. Buscomb, from Hamilton, will now attempt to win the New Zealand 1500 metres title in Auckland later in March to go with her first senior title, the 3000 metres won in Dunedin two weeks ago.

The New Zealand 100 metres hurdles champion, Fiona Morrison finished fourth in her specialty event in 13.88 seconds. The race was won by World Champion Sally Pearson in a stunning 12.49 seconds cementing her favouritism for the London 2012 Olympics.

Junior Brad Mathas ran his second fastest race over 800 metres, placing fourth in the B race, recording 1min 50.16 sec just 0.53 seconds behind the winner.

Brett Tingay couldn't match the early pace in the 3000 metres steeplechase but finished well for eighth place in 9 mins 12.56 sec, 2 seconds outside his personal best.

Monique Williams struggled in the 200 metres, recording 24.75 in sixth place behind the winner Sally Pearson who ran 23.02 seconds. Williams has not found the form that took her to New Zealand records including a best of 22.90 seconds in 2009 and the Commonwealth Games final in 2010.

Marshall Hall also battled wet conditions in the discus circle, throwing a best of 50.60 metres for fifth.