Hestrie Cloete's brilliant spell continued here on Sunday when she won the high jump at the fourth IAAF Golden League meeting of the year with a world-class new Commonwealth, African and South African record of 2,05m.

It was her third superb 2m-plus performance within the space of only six days and bettered her previous best, set in Monaco four years ago, by 1cm. It was a wonderful day for South African athletics and a memorable one for veteran Hezekiel Sepeng (1:44.71) who recorded his first ever victory at Golden League or Grand Prix 1 level in the 800 metres while Okkert Brits clinched second place in the pole vault with a another impressive performance and a top-class height of 5,76 metres.

Sepeng and Brits were both members of the SA junior team to the IAAF World Junior Championships in 1992. It was one of Sepeng's rare victories over compatriot and Commonwealth champion Mbulaeni Mulaudzi, the fourth SA athlete in action on the day and winner of two of the three previous Golden League meetings. He claimed third place in the 800m while Wilfred Bungei of Kenya, the world's fastest 800m runner this year, managed to split the two South Africans. It all points to a very exciting World Championship meeting in Paris in two weeks from now.

Cloete's form is simply superb and she and her coach, Martin Marx, seems to be spot-on with her preparation towards a successful defence of her world title. She is really approaching her peak and another improvement on her record is on the cards. With world leader Kajsa Bergqvist of Sweden, who jumped 2,06m only 13 days ago, again sitting out after she was comprehensively beaten by Cloete in Stockholm last Tuesday, the world mark of 2,09m will surely be in danger. Cloete had a taste of something like that here on Sunday when she attempted 2,10m for the first time in her career but it will have to wait for another day.