Athletics: Games hopefuls off the pace

By EUGENE BINGHAM

Aspiring Olympians bombed out of Games contention at the Australian track and field trials yesterday, leaving two from the old guard to protect New Zealand's reputation.

Beneath dark Sydney skies that saw Stadium Australia's lights turned on at 1pm, runners Shaun Farrell, Zion Armstrong and Jane Arnott found their best was not enough, as they failed to reach the standards required for selection to next month's Games.

Brightening the gloom were long-jumper Chantal Brunner and sprinter Chris Donaldson.

Brunner's ray of sun shone from the far side of the stadium where she soared 6.54m, beating the 6.50m target selectors wanted her to achieve to prove her form.

The best jump was her first one, and that was only bettered by a personal best 6.56m from Queenslander Bronwyn Thompson.

The 29-year-old Aucklander said her performance showed she was on track.

Brunner will return to New Zealand for her last burst of training before competing in three pre-Olympic meetings in Brisbane.



Recent competitions in the United States, where she jumped an Olympic-qualifying 6.66m, put her at 28th in the world.

"I was ranked 37th going into the last [Olympics] and I made the final."

Donaldson was outshone in a tense 100m final won by the so-called fastest white man alive, Matt Shirvington. But Donaldson's fifth-placed 10.45 sec finish was nothing if not consistent with his other times at the meeting (10.43 sec and 10.44 sec).

"It's just a question of fine-tuning and getting down to the 10.1, 10.0's," he said. He will run the 200m today.

Several other runners found themselves at the end of the line, however.

Gasping for air, Arnott gave it everything she had in the 400m but missed the qualifying time with a run of 52.71 sec.

Arnott chased hard after three Australians desperate to join glamour girl Cathy Freeman at the Games and finished with her third best time which was unlikely to be enough to win over the selectors.

"Usually I don't run well in the outside lanes but today I just forgot about that and went for it. I gave it my best shot ... hopefully I have got a case,"she said.

Farrell accepted his Olympic dream was over after a disappointing 800m final. The Cantabrian ran at the back of the field through 600m and ran 1m 48.81.

Armstrong also faded in the gruelling 400m hurdles, finishing well outside the qualifying mark on 51.93s.

Hammer-thrower Tasha Williams also threw below her best in coming fourth with 59.88m, but has already secured a place in the team.

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