Ratcliffe smashes NZ record

Dame Valerie Adams made another stride down the comeback trail, but it was her national hammer throw team-mate Julia Ratcliffe who grabbed the headlines at the Porritt Classic athletics meet in Hamilton yesterday.

Ratcliffe, who hails from the Waikato, produced a stunning series of throws in the hammer to twice break her own New Zealand record of 71.39 metres and come within 15cm of the automatic qualifying mark for the Tokyo Olympics.

South Canterbury’s Lauren Bruce was second with 67.44m and Aussie Alexandra Hulley third with 67.15.

Adams would have been content with her winning throw of a season-best 18.81m in the women’s shot put, improving on her Olympic qualifying throw of 18.65m set at the Potts Classic a few weeks ago.

The 35-year-old double Olympic champion, working back to her competitive best after the birth of her second child, had a steady series of 17.97m, 17.90, 18.44, 18.21, 18.81 and 18.02.

Former world champion Tom Walsh would also have been happy enough with his winning toss of 21.35m in the men’s shot put as he too works back to form off a heavy block of training.

He had three throws over 21m for the competition and finished with his best mark of the night after setting the standard early with 21.27m in the second round. Walsh’s training partner Ryan Ballantyne finished second with 19.64m.

Two-time Olympic medallist Nick Willis showed his class in the men’s 1500m by kicking clear of the field in the final lap to romp home in 3min 46.71sec.