Olympic and world champion pole vaulter Steve Hooker recorded a disappointing 5.65 meters at the Melbourne Track Classic Thursday, his final outing before the World Indoor Championships. The Australian, who will attempt to collect the one major international title he does not hold next week in Doha, missed three jumps at 5.85 but still comfortably beat a largely domestic field. “Up until I was out of the competition, I thought it was going to be a big night,” Hooker, who cleared 5.91 last week in Sydney, told reporters. “I still think it's a good trial run for the world indoors. There's a lot of positives to take out of it but it wasn't a positive result.” His compatriot Jeff Riseley had a better evening, leaving Kenya's Beijing Olympic champion Asbel Kiprop and silver medalist Nick Willis of New Zealand in his wake to win the 1,500m in three minutes 42.70 seconds. Kenya's David Rudisha, who ran the fastest 800m time of 2009, earlier showed he will be a force to be reckoned with this year as well with an impressive 1:43.15 to win the two-lap race by more than three seconds. Rudisha, who became the fourth fastest 800m runner of all time last year (1:42.01), clocked a sizzling 1min 43.15sec to destroy a largely home field. Fellow Kenyan Sammy Tangui took up the pace-setting duties before Rudisha powered to the front with 300m remaining and left Australian Ryan Gregson almost three seconds in his wake. Australia's world champion Dani Samuels won the women's discus with a throw of 62.97, well short of the personal best of 65.84 she managed last week in Sydney. Elsewhere, 2007 world champion Tero Pitkamaki of Finland won a tight javelin competition with 83.32m ahead of New Zealander Stuart Farquhar (83.26m). Britain's Andy Baddeley won the 5,000m in 13:20.85 from Kenyan Jonathon Komen (13:25.46). Australia's Sally McLellan declared herself unimpressed with her winning time of 23.59 in the 200m.
