New Zealand thrower Maddi Wesche has continued her rapid improvement claiming a silver medal at the opening Diamond League meet in China.
Wesche achieved a lifetime best distance of 19.63m in her sixth and final throw in Xiamen to place second in a tight battle for gold.
LATEST HEADLINES:Â
China's Lijiao Gong won with a 19.72m throw with Jackson Chase of the United States was third with 19.62m.
Twenty-four-year-old Wesche, who was selected in the 15-strong New Zealand team to compete at the Paris Olympics, for a medal.
Her previous personal best of 19.62m was set at last month's world indoor championships and she carried that form to China, where four of her throws were 19.44m or better.
Wesche was sixth at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 (18.98m best), third at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games (19.03m) and seventh at last year's outdoor world championships in Hungary (19.51m).
Meanwhile World Indoor Champion, Kerr took bronze after a jump of 2.24m, behind American Shelby McEwen and Qatari Mutaz Essa both recording 2.27m.
In the women's javelin Tori Peeters finished seventh with a thrown of 55.7m.