Samuels wins bronze in Shanghai

NSWIS discus thrower Dani Samuels has kicked off her 2011 Diamond League campaign by taking a bronze medal at the Shanghai leg of the meet over the weekend.

The 2009 world champion, who will defend her title later this year in South Korea, finished behind Sandra Perkovic of Croatia and Yanfeng Li of China with a throw of 61.98 metres.

Fellow NSWIS athlete, long jumper Fabrice Lapierre, failed to finish in the men’s long jump after committing three foul jumps.

In other athletics news, NSWIS athletes Kurt Fearnley, Christie Dawes and Richard Nicholson made it an all NSWIS trifecta in the wheelchair division of the 2011 Sydney Half Marathon. Fearnley clocked 59 minutes and 23 seconds to secure gold in front of Dawes, 1:07.50, and Nicholson, 1:10.22.