Women’s high jump record topples

Press, 25 February 1985, Page 3

Women’s high jump record topples

PA Dunedin Trudy Painter, of Otago, set a New Zealand women’s high jump record of 1.84 metres at an inter-provin-cial athletics meet on the new artifical surface at the Caledonian Ground on Saturday. The record jump, a centimetre over that of Aucklander Clare Ryan’s record of two years ago, capped a remarkable sequence for Painter. She recently cleared I.Bom three times. Her final opponent went out at 1.60 m, and she was contemplating competing against the men. Painter’s coach, Trevor Bent, told her a record against men would not be recognised. Painter now wants 1.87 m before the end of the season, and a place in the New

Zealand team for the Pacific Conference Games. To improve further, she will need to alter her run up for grass surfaces. To emphasise her fitness, Painter set a personal best of 14.4 sec in the 100 m hurdles. She has won the national women’s title the past two seasons and looks set to achieve the triple in Dunedin in two weeks. The last Otago athlete to set a New Zealand record at the Caledonian Ground was Olympic long jump gold medallist, Yvette Williams, in the early 19505. On Saturday, Canterbury’s Lynette Kay had a New Zealand 100 m record disallowed because the timekeeper was unable to see the smoke from the starter’s gun.