Athletics: Vili beats star-packed field

Valerie Vili hit the ground running in her opening European shot-put appearance of the season in Austria yesterday.

The Commonwealth Games champion produced a best effort of 19.83m to beat a star-packed field at the Intersport Gugl meeting in Linz. Vili beat the reigning European champion Natallia Khoroneko, of Belarus, who was second with 19.42m, and 2004 Olympic champion Yumileidi Cumba, of Cuba, third with 18.92m.

The world leader this year with 20.56m, Nadzeya Ostapchuk, of Belarus, was fifth with 18.34m. Vili is ranked second in the world this year with her New Zealand record of 20.20m at the national championships in January.