Peeters has final chance on Sunday

Tori Peeters.
Tori Peeters.
Tori Peeters will throw at home in her final chance to qualify for the Commonwealth Games.

A special meeting for the Taieri athlete will be held on Sunday at 6pm - the last day for qualifying - at the Caledonian Ground.

The 23-year-old proved herself as the country's best female javelin thrower at the Games trials in Whanganui on Tuesday night.

However, her throw of 53.44m meant she remained under the B qualification standard of 59.70m.

While Tuesday was a trial to assist Athletics New Zealand with the selection process, that standard could be obtained any time within the qualifying window.

With a personal-best - and New Zealand record - of 56.84m, it would take a big performance.

However, it is one she feels she is capable of if everything comes together.

''Yeah, for sure,'' she said when asked if she had it in her.

''Technically [I'm] feeling pretty sound at the moment and definitely feeling on form and that sort of thing.

''I've had really good preparation. It's just a matter of getting everything together on the night.

''A bit of atmosphere helps and that sort of thing, and I suppose the right conditions, that goes a long way.

''So I think I'm capable and my support team think it as well. I'm capable of reaching that 60m mark.

Having to qualify by this time meant , she has been looking to peak early and so she went to Australia earlier this month to train in the warm weather and get in a couple of competitions.

She had been happy with how that went and said while it was disappointing to not get the result on Tuesday, the performance was still good.

One of several strong javelin throwers in Dunedin, she did not need to look far for inspiration.

Indeed her training partner - Paralympic silver medallist Holly Robinson - had already been confirmed for the F46 para-javelin in the Games.

She would ''probably'' be throwing on Sunday as well and the chance to go to the Gold Coast with her was added motivation.

Peeters' plans for the rest of the season depended on the outcome of Sunday, but she has locked in the New Zealand and Australian national championships.

If she fails to get the qualifying mark, her focus would shift to trying to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.

Add a Comment