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Sprinter Monique Williams - Source: Photosport -
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Auckland-based Tokoroa sprinter Monique Williams completed her hat-trick of sprint trebles with another record-breaking run over 200m at the national athletics championships in Wellington on Sunday.
It was the third year on end that Williams, 23, has taken out the 100m-200m-400m combination and she was in commanding form, clocking 23.15 seconds to take the title streets ahead of second-placed Anna Smythe (Otago) in 24.01sec.
Williams' time easily broke the New Zealand resident record of 23.26sec she set two weeks ago in Christchurch.
Earlier this season, Williams bagged Kim Robertson's 31-year-old national 200m record when she ran 22.98sec to beat the A standard for the world athletics championships in Berlin later this year.
Williams is also closing in on Robertson's national 400m mark of 51.60sec, with a 52.20sec to her credit at the Melbourne grand prix three weeks ago.
On Sunday, however, Williams was just pleased to have kept her focus and picked up her third sprint treble, continuing a recent run of particularly consistent form.
"I'm quite glad to be really consistent and back up all my times," she said afterwards.
"It's more pressure from myself - I just tell myself I've got to run fast, it's all on me. But I'm pretty good with the pressure."
The wind reading for the race was nicely under the legal two metres per second at 1.8m, but Williams had to work hard into the blustery Wellington northerly battering the curve into the home straight.
"The first 50 metres is a head win, but if you can get the good tail wind down the home straight it really helps."
A hat trick
Williams has had a busy few days, winning her least-favoured 100m on Friday with a personal best 11.64sec then taking Saturday's 400m title in 54.08sec.
Helped by both 400m and 200m being run as straight finals, Williams said she still had a little stiffness to work out of her legs going into Sunday's final event.
"I was a little bit sore warming up, but it usually feels like that anyway, so you've just got to push through it."
Although the New Zealand season has now wound up, Williams won't be easing off too much, with the world championships now a top priority.
"I've got a couple of weeks' rest than back into a little bit of base training, but I'll be trying to keep in touch with my speed so I don't lose that."
In the men's 200m, 100m winner Carl van der Speck was beaten into third by Auckland teammate Jeffrey Thumath, who mowed down the field over the closing stages for a 21.09sec win.
Defending champion James Dolphin took second in 21.18sec.
Results men:
200m: Jeffrey Thumath (Akld) 21.09sec, James Dolphin (Akld) 21.18 2, Carl Van der Speck (Akld) 21.26 3.
1500m: Gareth Hyett (WaikBoP) 3min 49.54sec 1, Richard Olsen (Cant) 3:49.66 2, Tom Osborne (Mantu/Wang) 3:50.64 3.
400m hurdles: Nick Kalivati (Wgtn) 52.92 1, Simon Manson (Akld) 56.56 2, Callum McConachy (Manwtu/Wang) 56.98 3.
3000m steeplechase: Kim Hogarth (Tasman) 8min 05.70sec 1, Stephen Day (Wgtn) 10:13.09 2, Anthony Curry (Pak) 11:52.27 3.
20km road walk: Quentin Rew (HBG) 1hr 40min 10sec 1, Mike Parker (Calliope) 1:50.00 2, Eric Kemsley (Tar) 1:50.19 3.
Shot put: Daniel Kilama (France) 15.94m 1, Pat Hellier (Akld) 15.85 2, Damian Smuts (Akld) 15.01 3.
Hammer: Philip Jensen (Wgtn) 58.90m 1, Hellier 58.74 2, Smuts 48.41 3.
Triple jump: Brent Newdick (Akld) 14.46m 1, Robbie Grabarz (GB) 14.40 2, David Lane (Wgtn) 14.22 3, Charles Nicolson (Akld) 13.73 4.
4 x 400m relay: Otago 3min 13.37sec 1, Auckland 3:13.71 2, Wellington 3:17.40 3.
Results women:
200m: Monique Williams (Akld) 23.15sec (NZ resident record) 1, Anna Smythe (Otago) 24.01 2, Nicola Hely (Otago) 24.50 3.
1500m: Nikki Hamblin (GB) 4min 23.48sec 1, Fiona Crombie (Cant) 4:28.77 2, Erin Montgomery (Akld) 4:29.273, Paula Whiting (Otago) 4:30.17 4.
400m hurdles: Annmarie Spragg (WaikBoP) 62.29sec 1, Gemma Radford (Otago) 62.43 2, Fiona Morrison (Cant) 65.24 3.
3000m steeplechase: Leonora Joy (Akld) 10min 18.49sec 1, Crombie 11:00.49 2, Andrea Williams (HBG) 12:10.28 3.
20km road walk: Michelle Lei (Manwtu/Wang) 2hr 0min 12sec 1, Rachel Gilberd (Tar) 2:06.43 2, Nyle Sunderland (Tasman) 2:10.33 3.
Javelin: Keshia Grant (WaikBoP) 49.42m 1, Hannah Blair (Otago) 47.27 2, Carli Botes (Akld) 43.85 3.
Triple jump: Marissa Pritchard (Wgtn) 12.99m 1, Nneka Okpala (Akld) 12.26 2, Amber Grogan (Akld) 12.19 3.
Pole vault: Julia Hart (Akld) 3.20m 1, Rachel Kemp (Wgtn) 3.20 2, Morgan Williams (Akld) and Sarah O'Connell (Cant) 3.00 3.
4 x 400m relay: Auckland 3min 50.20sec 1, Wellington 3:56.93 2, Otago 3:58.99 3.
