Athletics: Walsh take No 1 world ranking as records tumble in Melbourne

New Zealand shotputter Tom Walsh. Photo / Marty Melville

Three New Zealand national records tumbled at Australasia's highest profile track meeting in Melbourne on Saturday, with shotputter Tom Walsh shooting to the top of the world rankings.

Walsh set a New Zealand men's national shotput record at the IAAF Melbourne World Challenge meet.

Walsh sent out a huge throw of 21.37m in the final of his six attempts to add 0.11m to the record of 21.26 he set at the World Indoor Championships 12 months ago.

The distance is also a new Oceania record. Walsh previously shared the Oceania record with Australian Scott Martin.

Walsh now moves to the top of the world shotput rankings for 2015, passing American Ryan Whiting who beat the Kiwi twice in February at meetings in Christchurch and Auckland.

Meanwhile, Tori Peeters from Otago also set a national record in the women's javelin, throwing 55.14 to add 0.69m to her own record set at the 2014 New Zealand championships in March last year. Peeters placed sixth in the star-laden field and had two other throws further than her previous best.

Junior steeplechaser Rosa Flanagan (19) was the third Kiwi to grab a national record, improving her own under-20 3000m steeplechase record by 7 seconds to 9:41.42.