Eliza McCartney of Auckland competes in the 2016 National Track & Field Championships. Photo / Getty Images
Eliza McCartney stole the limelight on day two of the Lion Foundation New Zealand Track and Field championships in Dunedin on Saturday, setting a New Zealand record of 4.80m in the pole vault.
The clearance in the Bluebridge Ferries sponsored event bettered the national, resident, allcomers and under 20 records
as well as the Oceania record and takes the Auckland 19 year old to the top of the world outdoor rankings for 2016, although four athletes have vaulted higher indoors this year.
McCartney is now forcing herself into the early reckoning for medals at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games if she can continue her recent improvements.
But before Rio, the Halberg Emerging talent award winner will contest the World Indoor Championships in under two weeks in the US city of Portland, Oregon.
The best track race of the day was the women's 100m hurdles which turned into a titanic battle between 100m champion Rochelle Coster and previous hurdles champion Fiona Morrison. Coster started well but Morrison finished faster to take the title by just 0.02. Morrison's 13.21 and Coster's 13.23 were personal bests and took them to second and third on the all-time list respectively.
Josh Hawkins repeated his Otago Polytechnic 110m hurdles title win from last season in 14.25.
