Athletics: Vili qualifies second at world indoors

New Zealand's Olympic shotput champion Valerie Vili has qualified second for the shotput at the world indoor athletics championships in Doha, Qatar.

Nadzeya Ostapchuk (Belarus) topped the qualifiers this evening with 20.09 metres, comfortably ahead of Vili's second-placed 19.81m. Romanian Anca Heltne was third with 19.10m.

Vili is defending the world indoor title she won with a 20.19m effort two years ago in Valencia, Spain.

The IAAF website reported that Ostapachuk was satisfied with her efforts and said: "I did it with my first throw. Job done. My shape is there, we will have all six throws so I can attack and (take a) risk. My goal is clear, to win."

Vili was also under no illusions as to the size of her task in the final.

"I know there are tough competitors and perhaps a 21m throw would be needed to win," she said.

Ostapchuk is in top indoor form, last month blasting a 21.70m effort at the Belarus national championships. The mark elevated the 29-year-old, who took home world indoor silver in 2001, 2003 and 2008, to the No 3 position all-time indoors with the fourth furthest performance. No one - besides Ostapchuk herself on the same day, with a 21.23m effort - has come remotely close this year.

In that same competition, fellow Belarussian and Olympic silver medallist Natalia Mikhnevich, was second with a 20.28m toss, the only other indoor performer to reach beyond the 20-metre mark indoors this season.

Mikhnevich qualified seventh today with 18.67m.

Vili has been consistent in her three outdoor appearances so far this season, capped by a 20.57m effort in Sydney late last month, the third furthest throw of her career.

The final is scheduled for early Monday morning.

The only other New Zealander competing today, middle distance runner Adrian Blincoe, ran a personal indoor best over 1500m today in finishing fifth in his heat with three minutes 40.50 seconds.

The first two in each of the three heats and the three fastest losers went through to the final, with the fourth-placed runner in Blincoe's heat, Frenchman Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad, clocking 3min 39.63sec to qualify.