Track and field athletes capture funding gold

Athletics New Zealand performance manager Eric Hollingsworth is about to dip his hand into the funding sack and allocate the next round of grants to deserving athletes.

Heartened by the strong showing by the track and field team in Melbourne he knows he is going to be stretched. It is a problem he is happy to deal with.

In the job for almost a year, Hollingsworth refuses to take all the credit for the remarkable turnaround but points to funds being made available to the athletes and coaches as playing a vital role.

He can point to the sport's encouraging return at these Games as justification for the extra funding that has been made available.

Although the four medals won here matches the haul in Manchester four years ago, the success just below the surface is light years ahead.

Golds for Valerie Vile and Nick Willis - to just the one won by Beatrice Faumuina in 2002 - were a start. Add in the silver for Tony Sargisson and Angela McKee's high jump bronze and the story gets better.

In Manchester, Sargisson (fifth in the 50km road walk) and Chantel Brunner (fifth in the long jump) were the only other top five finishes.

In Melbourne, the medal-winners were backed by five fourths and two fifths. This is a big return from a team of only 27 selected under Hollingsworth's insistence of no free rides.

The result here compares more than favourably with the one gold, two silver and six bronze along with five fourth placings and four fifths in Auckland in 1990. That team numbered three times greater (at 83) than the athletics squad this time.

The one big gap in the resume was again the failure of the longer distance runners to make any impression.

That issue will be addressed by Hollingsworth, who points out that no New Zealand senior men will contest next month's world cross-country championships in Japan, when his hand dips into the money jar.

"We will be reviewing all 58 athletes in the high performance programme," said Hollingsworth. "We want to have a team of 20 competitive athletes at next year's world track and field championships in Osaka."

Of the results here, Hollingsworth said the team had done a "fantastic job" and fully justified the hard-line selection policy.

"To have 17 out of the 23 who competed here in the top eight is a great result," said Hollingsworth. "The only real disappointments were the two marathon runners, Michael Aish in the 10,000m and Rebecca Forlong in the steeplechase.

"The long-distance fraternity are going to have a long hard look at what's going on."

Asked to single out one performance that gave him special pride, Hollingsworth did not hesitate in opting for James Dolphin.

"His effort in making the 200m final against, with the exception of three Americans, the best sprinters in the world was outstanding."

The 4x100m relay team who spoiled their party with a disastrous final after, 100m from the finish, appearing a genuine medal chance also impressed him.

The last night, on the back of Willis' show-stopping 1500m triumph, was another solid effort with Paul Hamblyn backing Willis in taking bronze and Stuart Farquhar - even if a little disappointing in finishing seventh in the javelin - and pole vaulter Melina Hamilton claiming further top eight finishes.

There were other disappointments for Hollingsworth, including Faumuina's failure to win a medal.

"I hope she can bounce back," said Hollingsworth.

"I'm sure there will be a bit of soul-searching. I definitely see her as part of any future team."

He was, understandably impressed with Willis.

"Nick is now a winner. He delivered when it mattered. He showed me the killer instinct you need. When [Craig] Mottram fell, I wanted Nick to bury him. He did."