Kiwi high jumper Hamish Kerr has sealed world championship selection, matching a national record and a claiming big scalp at the Oceania champs in Townsville.
Kerr, 22, cleared 2.30m - that's 7ft 6.5in in imperial terms - for the gold medal, equalling a mark set by Glenn Howard in 2000 and improving his previous best of 2.25m by 5cm.
Entering the competition at 2.05m, he cleared seven heights on his first attempts, before taking two unsuccessful shots at 2.33m.
Just as important was his victory over world-class Australian Brandon Starc - younger brother of Aussie cricket fast bowler Mitchell Starc.
Starc, whose best clearance is 2.36m, could only managed 2.22m on this occasion, but is the reigning Commonwealth Games champion from the Gold Coast last year and also won the 2018 Diamond League final against the best jumpers in the world.
Kerr's performance matched the world championships selection standard, enough to book his ticket to Doha in September.
In the meantime, he will contest the World Student Games in Naples next month.
Sprinters Eddie Osei-Nketia (10.34s) and Zoe Hobbs (11.56s) confirmed their world championship spots with victories over 100m in Townsville, but the news wasn't as good for Olympic pole vault bronze medallist Eliza McCartney, who has withdrawn from her event on Friday.
Hamstring niggles have hampered McCartney's build-up for Doha and this meet was meant to be a fitness test before the start of her European campaign.
Newshub.
