Olympics: Athletes try to stay clear of the five-ring circus

By SUZANNE McFADDEN

Triathletes have joined the band of New Zealand athletes wanting out of the Olympic village.

The Kiwis want to set up home away from the hubbub while they are competing on the first two days of the Olympics.

Rowing and equestrian have also asked to move closer to their venues.

The rowers already have a house in Penrith because they hit the lake at dawn, while the equestrians need to be near their horses in Sydney's far west.

World No 1 triathlete Hamish Carter says he wants somewhere quiet on the eve of his competition in the central city. He and his team-mates would move into the village after they have competed.

So far no one has been given the go-ahead to change address. New Zealand chef de mission Les Mills is reviewing all the sports' requests.

Yachties and cyclists will live in, but have houses at their venues so they have somewhere to nap during the day.

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Chantal Brunner raced through a full range of emotions when she outleapt the New Zealand long jump record at an Olympic qualifying meet in the United States.

Brunner, still trying to get to Sydney, was ecstatic when she jumped 6.77m in Flagstaff, Arizona - 12cm further than the qualifying mark, and 10cm better than her national record.

Then there was disappointment when she was told her leap was wind assisted beyond the 2m/s limit, cancelling out the record and the qualifying effort.

Then came confusion, when the organisers discovered the wind gauge had a part missing."It's news that would make you shake your head," Brunner said.

Athletics New Zealand selector Tony Rogers will wait for letters from the meet organisers and Brunner before he considers her plight.

But the 1996 Olympian, back from a hamstring injury, still has two more meets in the United States to prove herself.

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The bodysuit war rages on, with another pair of space-age togs entering the fray.

Arena has come up with an arm-less full-leg suit they claim has less water resistance, making swimmers lighter and faster.

The fabric, which supposedly doesn't absorb as much water as others, was used in a pair of trunks worn by Russian Alex Popov when he broke the world 50m freestyle record last month. Popov, however, refuses to give it any credit.

The bodysuit issue has been taken to the Court of Arbitration of Sport by Australian officials concerned that swimmers wearing the outfits at the Olympics could be stripped of their medals if other athletes protest.

American swimmers have been told they cannot wear the suits at their Olympic trials next month.

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New Zealand's rowing eight are getting plenty of attention in their European bid to make the Olympics - at least their boat is.

The women's crew will line up next week in the Olympic qualifying regatta in Lucerne.

While the crews' results have fluctuated in the build-up, rower Rochelle Saunders says their black boat, complete with a Team New Zealand-style fern, has been the huge attention-grabber. In Lucerne they will need more than a pretty boat to finish in the top two of four crews - the others Britain, Germany and Belarus.

The men's and women's pairs will also be trying to qualify in Lucerne, starting Wednesday.

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Laser dinghy veteran Peter Fox, given the nod for the Olympic yachting team yesterday, is sailing with the enemy in the run-up to Sydney.

Fox, at 33 making his first Olympic appearance, will spend his time preparing with the United States' Laser sailor John Myrdal - both in Sydney and America.

America's Cup sailors Gavin Brady and Jamie Gale were also named as the Star boat crew, completing the 11-class Kiwi contingent.

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