NZ U20 record

Wellingtonian James Preston ran a New Zealand under 20 record, placing seventh in his semi-final of the men’s 800m at the world under 20 athletics championships in Bydgoszcz, Poland. The 19year old drew the toughest of the three semi-finals and was pulled through to his best time of 1:48.06 to break Jason Stewart’s 1:48.73 national record. Preston’s time would have won the second semi-final comfortably. Stewart placed seventh in the final at the 2000 World U20 Championships and went on to represent New Zealand at the 2004 Olympics and finished 5th at the 2006 Commonwealth Games. It was a successful championships for Preston, winning his heat and then finishing with an overall ranking of 13th at his first international event.