Ratcliffe keen to hammer home win

New Zealand hammer thrower Julia Ratcliffe will defend her Commonwealth Games title after finishing second in her qualifying group in Birmingham.

Photo: PHOTOSPORT

Ratcliffe opened with a handy 66.91m, then unleashed a second-round 68.73m effort to better the automatic qualifying mark of 68m.

Her throw was better only by Canadian world championship silver medallist Camryn Rogers, who uncorked a mighty 74.68m to set a Games record.

Ratcliffe will be joined by teammate Nicole Bradley, who qualified eighth with 61.77m.

Ratcliffe said a comfortable qualification for the final on Sunday was a huge boost after last month missing out on a spot in the final at the world championships in Eugene, Oregon.

“At the world championships I was in really good physical shape, but mentally I had the wrong approach, so it was time to go out and correct that – and I felt I did that today. I’m really proud.”

Bradley, who has a best of 70.45m, said she was looking forward to throwing further in the final.

“I was a little bit nervous and excited, and although I didn’t do what I knew I was capable of I got the job done.

“I got a hammer in, it went far enough so it is now about recovery good eating and sleeping, getting ready for the final and having some fun. “

On the track, Sam Tanner produced an impressive turn of pace to qualify for the men’s 1500m final on Sunday after surviving a physical race to bank the fifth and final automatic spot in heat two.

Competing in the much slower of the two heats – the 800m split was a pedestrian 2min 08sec – it was always likely that the New Zealand 1500m champion would need an automatic top five place rather than qualify on time as a back up.

The heat was won by Scotland’s world 1500m champion Jake Wightman who ran 3:48.34, while Tanner recorded 3:48.65.

“I knew what I was doing, and I had enough in the tank so that I could go (with the pace),” Tanner said.

“I was looking around counting (the number of athletes) thinking I am good to qualify.

“A couple of times I had to bob and weave and get through athletes, so it’s lucky I’m skinny! It was fun.”

High jumper Keeley O’Hagan comfortably snagged a spot in the women’s high jump final in a routine qualification session, leaping 1.81m to make the 12-strong final on Saturday.