Pape and McLellan in PB form on the Gold Coast
In a promising sign for Australia's chances in the 4x400m relay at the world championships in Berlin, Madeleine Pape has clocked a new personal best in the 400m on the Gold Coast.
The Australian 800m champion stopped the clock at 52.68 seconds in taking out the race from Caitlin Pincott (54.16s) - the first time that she has broken 53 seconds for the distance.
Aside from improving the relay team's prospects of making the final in Berlin, the run will be a boost to Pape's confidence prior to her lining up over 800m next week on the Gold Coast. A fortnight ago Pape clocked a swift 2:00.34 but will be hoping to dip under the two minute barrier which represents the A-qualifier in order to strengthen her claim to the Australian selectors to add her to an individual event for Berlin. The results in the women's 800m globally this year have been relatively tame, with Pape's performance ranking her 16th in the world this year (at the time of writing).
Sally McLellan clocked a personal best over 200m in taking out the sprint double over Melissa Breen. McLellan's run of 23.02 seconds into a slight 0.4 m/s headwind, saw her finish half a second ahead of Breen, who was less than a tenth of a second outside her personal best with a run of 23.60s. Earlier in the meet McLellan took out the 100m in 11.43 seconds (-1.1) ahead of Brren's 11.73s.
In other performances on the Gold Coast Mitchell Watt continued his consistent form, leaping 8.10m (+0.9) in the long jump ahead of Chris Noffke's 7.96m (+0.0); Tristan Thomas virtually time trialled a 49.38 seconds in the 400m hurdles, with the only other competitor in the race being Australian under 18 110m hurdles record holder Sam Baines, who ran over the lower 84cm hurdles; Justin Anlezark, who launched the shot to 19.45m; and Matt Davies, who clocked 21.17 seconds (-0.1 m/s) in the 200m in a race where Australian 100m record holder Patrick Johnson struggled, finishing equal third in 21.83 seconds.
Elsewhere, in Europe, Australian 800m champion Nick Bromley and Melbourne based Kiwi Jason Woolhouse opened their European campaign at a British Milers Club meeting at Watford. Bromley navigated himself to third place in the C race of the 800m, running 1:50.57, whilst Woolhouse was 6th in the 5000m in 14:03.70.
RELATED ARTICLES
With talk about juiced-up athletes doing the rounds in early 2008, track and field was praying for a star. The sport got more than it bargained for that summer when sprinter Usain Bolt won three gold medals in remarkable fashion at the Beijing Olympics. 
If long-term injury is a rite of passage for professional athletes, then Mitchell Watt has certainly earned his stripes. 
Craig Mottram has fired a broadside at Athletics Australia selectors, almost six months after he was left out of the squad for the Delhi Commonwealth Games. 
Steve Hooker has had an inconsistent season, but the true mark of a champion is that they rise to the occasion when it counts. 
Europe has taken out the inaugural Continental Cup ahead of the America's, with Asia-Pacific finishing fourth. 
Benn Harradine has broken his own national record in the discus in finishing second at the Continental Cup in Split, Croatia. 