Athletics: Jessica Penney qualifies

Wellington long jumper Jessica Penney has qualified for the junior world athletics championships in China.

Penney, 17, recorded a leap of 6.27m at the national teams competition northern region qualifying round in Hamilton.

That easily eclipsed the qualifying standard of 6.10m for the world event in Beijing next August, and Penney now has her sights set on the Commonwealth Games target of 6.50m.

Chantal Brunner, who has already qualified for the Games in Melbourne in March, won the long jump with 6.30m.

She also won the 100m in 11.70s while Jane Arnott won the 400m in 54.45s and the 200m in 23.94sec. A second Wellington athlete qualified for Beijing when Nick Kalivati won the 400m hurdles in 53.01s, comfortably under the qualifying mark of 53.34s.